Elias hated dead ends.
Victor Crane was supposed to be his first step forward. Instead, he was just another corpse added to a growing list. The only lead left was Mira Holt—and Elias wasn't about to waste any more time.
The rain had softened to a cold drizzle as he made his way through the Lower East Side, where Holt was last known to operate. The streets were quiet. Too quiet.
His instincts sharpened.
Then he noticed it.
A man. A block behind.
Moving when Elias moved. Stopping when he stopped.
He didn't turn. Didn't flinch. But he knew.
It was one of the men who attacked him at Calloway's house.
His fingers edged toward his gun—
Crack.
A sudden movement to his right.
Shit.
A second man stepped from the shadows. Fast. Too fast.
Something struck the back of Elias's head, hard. His world fractured.
Falling.
Darkness.
He woke to the scent of smoke and damp stone.
His wrists ached—rope. Tied to a chair.
The air was thick and stale, like the walls had been swallowing secrets for centuries. A single bulb flickered overhead, casting warped shadows that stretched and curled into the corners of the room.
Someone was watching.
Across the table sat a man, relaxed, rolling a cigar between his fingers. He lit it with the snap of a brass lighter. The flame briefly lit up a face etched with deep lines and eyes sharp as broken glass.
He took a slow drag, exhaling smoke into the gloom.
Then he spoke.
"Why are you looking for Victor Crane?"
Elias blinked away the haze. His pulse stayed steady. Controlled. He tested the ropes—not loose. Not impossible.
He smirked despite the situation.
"Hell of a welcome."
The man leaned forward, the ember of his cigar glowing.
"And yet, you still haven't answered."
Elias studied him. This wasn't a low-level thug. His presence was deliberate. Measured. A man used to commanding a room.
"You already know Crane's dead," Elias said. "So why ask about a ghost?"
The man smiled faintly—like Elias had passed a test.
"I ask the questions," he said. "You answer them." Another slow drag. "Now. One last time… Why are you looking for Crane?"
Elias tilted his head, calculating.
Because right now, the only way out of this room…
Was through him.