Chapter 25 The Box

• The ledger hits the war table with a quiet thunk that says money first, ghosts later.
• Bishop cracks a grin, flips the pages like a priest reading someone else’s sins. Decker leans his weight into the wall behind him, arms crossed, boots muddy from the back exit where he nearly got clipped by a stray guard who never even knew how close he came to dying.
• Knox stands behind Ellerei, one palm flat on the table’s edge like he’s anchoring them both there. His eyes never leave her — not when she tips her chin at Bishop’s numbers, not when she pretends to listen to Decker mumble about the payout.