Velrosa paced slowly near the garden path, her silver hair catching dying rays of sun as she weighed every possibility. Eli stood against a column, arms folded, while Ian sat calmly on a stone bench, peeling dried blood from his knuckles with quiet disinterest.
"They know," Velrosa muttered. "Or at the very least—they suspect."
Eli responded first. "But they can't prove anything. You said those agents are dead, right?"
Ian nodded. "Dead and gone. They won't be raising a case against anyone."
"Still, this wasn't just a raid," Velrosa said, her voice cold. "This was a test. A baited net. And if Ian was weaker, he might've been dragged off in chains or worse."
She paused, eyes sharpening with something darker than worry.
"The Redwater gang. If the Sanctum traced anything through them, even the hint of our arrangement with Rat, then they need to be eliminated."
Eli gave a slow shrug. "Fine by me. They've been a stain on this city's belly long enough."
