Chapter 17 Beneath The Surface

• The river swallowed the city’s roar. As the tugboat pulled the barge deeper into open water, the skyline of warehouses, container yards, and decaying overpasses shrank behind them. Valentina leaned against the cold railing, breathing in the salt and diesel air. Her hands still trembled from the chase. Smoke curled behind them like a warning left unanswered.
• Dante stood nearby, his bandaged arm limp at his side, eyes fixed on the riverbank. He hadn’t said a word since they’d cast off. Not about the drive. Not about the men they left bleeding behind.
• Lucia crouched beside the laptop, checking the drive for integrity. Camila stood watch with binoculars, sweeping the far shore. Hector lay across a bench under a tarp, teeth clenched against the pain in his leg.