Maturevan221104miadarklinandlilianblack Work -

Lilian inclined her head. "We did good." She tapped the scar under Mia’s eye with the side of a finger, affectionate and irreverent. "We also didn't get caught, which is a bonus."

Mia’s jaw tightened. "Insurance we can’t afford," she replied. The room seemed to lean in; the rain grew louder, as if eavesdropping. "You promised—no surprises." maturevan221104miadarklinandlilianblack work

For a long while they boated in silence, each thinking of the losses that had led them here. The case had been lighter since they’d handed it over, its absence echoing in the hollow where revenge had lived for years. The photograph of the man beneath the oak had been a keystone—now someone else held it. Mia felt an old habit stir: the need to know outcomes, to measure the damage done. Lilian, ever the patient one, let the river rock them and watched the horizon. Lilian inclined her head

Mia tried to laugh but it came out thin. "And after? When it all goes quiet?" "Insurance we can’t afford," she replied