Chapter 36

• The first rays of dawn barely touched the horizon when Elio and Luca moved through the quiet streets of Palermo. Every step felt heavy with purpose, with the weight of the night still clinging to their skin. Neither had slept. Neither could afford to.
• Elio’s hand brushed the grip of his gun, the steel cold beneath his fingertips. He kept his voice low, but there was a sharpness to it. “Rafaele is cornered. If he’s smart, he knows his only play is desperation.”
• Luca matched his pace, face hard, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion in his bones. “Desperation makes people dangerous.”