Chapter Ninty Eight - Teeth in the Dark
(Sienna's POV )
The storm returned that night, quieter than before but colder, the kind that didn’t roar, it whispered. The warehouse’s corrugated roof groaned under the wind, rain tapping against it like the slow ticking of a clock Sienna couldn’t ignore.
She sat alone in the strategy room, the glow of the monitors painting her face in fractured blue light. The others had tried to sleep, though no one truly did anymore. The war had seeped into their bones, even in silence.
A notification blinked on the map. Rafe’s patrol reporting in. No movement on the perimeter. For now.
Sienna leaned back in the chair, boots propped on the edge of the table. In the quiet, she could almost hear Morano’s voice again.
“I can give you power.”
It wasn’t the promise that unsettled her. It was how calm he’d been when he said it, like the outcome had already been decided.
The door creaked. Luca’s steps were slower tonight, the limp in his left leg more pronounced. He didn’t bother knocking anymore. He just walked in, eyes heavy, hair still damp from the rain.
“You’re still up,” he said.
“So are you.”
He grunted, pulling up a chair across from her. He watched the screens for a long moment before speaking again. “You’re not sleeping. Haven’t been.”
“Neither have you.”
“Yeah, but I’m not the one planning to stare down Morano like he’s just another street thug.”
Sienna let the silence stretch. Luca didn’t fill it this time, just waited. He knew her well enough to let the walls crack on their own.
Finally, she said, “He moved on Ferrano’s assets before sunrise. No one makes plays that fast without inside help.”
Luca nodded slowly. “Inside help… or a mole.”
Her jaw flexed. She’d thought the same thing, but saying it aloud made the room colder. “Someone’s been feeding him information.”
“You’ve got a name?”
“Not yet.” Her gaze flicked to the far corner of the map. “But I will.”
Luca leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “And then what?”
“Then I make an example of them.”
He exhaled through his nose. “You’re walking a thin line.”
She met his eyes, unblinking. “I know.”
He hesitated. “I heard Rafe talking to the others. They think you’re considering his offer.”
“I’m not considering,” she said. “I’m calculating.”
“Same thing to them.”
“Then they’re not thinking hard enough.”
Luca almost smiled. Almost. “You scare them.”
“Good.”
His smirk faded. “Don’t forget what happens when leaders start ruling by fear. I’ve seen that story before. It doesn’t end with anyone left standing.”
She rose from the chair, moving to the glass wall that overlooked the warehouse floor. Below, the crew slept in fragments, half-alert, weapons never more than an arm’s reach away. She remembered when they’d laughed more, before everything was war.
“Luca,” she said softly, “I don’t intend to be Ferrano. Or Morano.”
“Then be careful not to start sounding like them.”
Before she could answer, the comms console beeped sharply. Sienna crossed the room and tapped the screen. Rafe’s voice came through, hushed but urgent.
“Sienna. North perimeter. Gate Three. We’ve got movement.”
Luca was already on his feet.
“How many?” Sienna asked.
Rafe’s reply was strained. “One. Hooded. Unarmed. Says they’re here to talk to you.”
Her pulse tightened. “Stall them. Don’t touch.”
She grabbed her pistol and slipped it into the back of her waistband as Luca followed. His hand brushed the holster on his thigh, old instinct kicking in.
“Could be a trap,” he muttered.
“Of course it’s a trap,” she said. “But traps can work both ways.”
The rain was steady as they stepped outside, the metallic tang of wet asphalt heavy in the air. Floodlights bathed the gate in pale light. Rafe and two others had the visitor surrounded, tall, slender frame, soaked hood pulled low. Their hands were raised, palms empty.
Sienna approached slowly, boots splashing through puddles. “Name.”
The figure lowered the hood. A woman. Younger than she expected, late twenties, sharp jawline, dark eyes that didn’t flinch under the lights.
“Call me Iris,” she said. “I’m here because Morano sent a message.”
Luca tensed beside her. “You picked the wrong door.”
But Iris didn’t look at him. Her eyes locked on Sienna’s. “He said if you’re going to burn his empire, you should at least know where the gasoline is stored.”
The tension around the gate coiled tighter. One of the guards shifted, unsure. Sienna held up a hand, steadying them.
“You’re one of his?” she asked.
Iris gave a small, humorless smile. “Not anymore.”
“Why should I believe that?”
“Because I know where your mole is.”
The words landed like a gunshot. Luca swore under his breath.
“Talk,” Sienna ordered.
“Not here,” Iris replied. “He’s watching everything. If you want to live long enough to use what I know, you’ll listen to me inside.”
Luca stepped closer, voice low and dangerous. “You’ll talk where she tells you.”
Iris didn’t flinch. “Fine. But the longer we stand out here, the closer his eyes get.”
Sienna stared at her a moment longer. Iris didn’t blink, didn’t tremble. Either she was telling the truth… or she was the best liar Morano had ever sent.
“Search her,” Sienna said finally.
Rafe patted her down. No weapons. No comms. Just a data drive tucked in her sleeve. He handed it to Sienna.
She pocketed it. “Bring her in.”
Inside the briefing room, Iris sat across the table, wet hair plastered to her temples. Her eyes followed everything, every door, every camera, every shadow.
Sienna plugged the drive into the system. A series of encrypted files filled the screen, surveillance grids, transport routes, names. Familiar names.
Luca cursed softly. “She’s not bluffing.”
Iris tilted her head. “I told you. Morano isn’t just building an empire. He’s swallowing yours from the inside out.”
Sienna’s gaze narrowed. “How do you know this?”
“Because I was the one mapping your weak points for him.” Iris leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Until he decided I was one of them.”
Betrayal had its own smell. Sharp. Metallic. Sienna recognized it instantly.
“Who’s the mole?” she asked.
Iris’s lips curved faintly. “You already trust them. That’s why he picked them.”
“Name.”
“Rafe.”
The room went still.
Luca straightened slowly, disbelief warring with instinct. “That’s not..”
Iris didn’t stop. “He’s been leaking locations for weeks. He doesn’t even know it. Morano’s been using a dead relay in his comms. Every time he checks in, he hands him a piece of your map.”
Luca’s voice was low. “She could be lying.”
“She’s not,” Sienna said quietly. She was already pulling up comm logs, fingers flying across the keys. The pattern was there, buried deep, subtle but undeniable.
Every transmission from Rafe’s unit bounced twice. Once to them. Once somewhere else.
Her stomach turned to iron.
Luca’s jaw clenched. “Then he’s been a pawn.”
“Or a perfect cover,” Iris added.
Sienna stood. “Where is he now?”
“Storage level,” Luca said.
Sienna holstered her pistol. “Bring him to me.”
Minutes later, Rafe stood in the same chair Iris had occupied. Confusion etched across his face. He still smelled faintly of rain and engine oil.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded.
Sienna didn’t answer at first. She threw the comm logs on the screen. He stared at them, blinking as if they were in a language he didn’t understand.
“That’s your relay,” Luca said coldly. “Every ping you’ve made in the last six weeks has gone through a ghost server.”
Rafe’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible. I.. I check my lines every night.”
“Apparently not well enough,” Iris murmured.
Rafe shot her a look. “Who the hell is she?”
“Someone who saw what you didn’t,” Sienna said. “You’ve been feeding Morano everything.”
His face drained of color. “No. No, Sienna, I swear...”
She slammed her hand on the table. “He knew about the Ferrano shipment before I did. He moved on the east docks before we got there. Do you really think that’s a coincidence?”
He shook his head, desperate. “I didn’t betray you.”
She stared at him. She’d known Rafe for years. Fought with him. Bled with him. But trust was a currency she couldn’t afford anymore.
Luca spoke softly. “Sienna…”
She raised a hand. “I know.”
The warehouse was silent except for the rain hammering the roof.
Finally, she said, “You’ll be locked down until I find out exactly how deep this goes. No weapons. No comms. If you’re clean, I’ll find it. If not…” Her eyes flicked to Iris, then back. “I’ll bury you myself.”
Rafe’s shoulders sagged, betrayal cutting both ways. But he didn’t fight when the guards moved in.
When he was gone, Iris leaned back in her chair. “He’s just the start.”
Sienna looked at her. “Then start talking.”
And Iris did.
Names. Routes. Places where Morano had already set his traps. Every word she spoke tightened the net around them. By the end, Sienna could feel the storm in her bones.
Luca paced behind her. “He’s already ahead of us.”
“Not for long,” Sienna said.
She turned back to Iris. “You’re going to help me tear him down.”
Iris smiled thinly. “That’s why I came.”
Sienna looked out at the rain-slicked city beyond the window. Morano thought she’d bend. That she’d kneel.
But she had teeth.
And soon, she’d sink them in.