The Black Reign safe house was quiet, but the tension inside it was unmistakable.

Mr. Quinn sat back in his chair, fingers tapping slowly against the armrest. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes missed nothing.

“Raven is gone,” he said. “That doesn’t mean the girl stops being important.”

One of his men stood before him—the same man who had been watching Serena for weeks.

“Report,” Mr. Quinn ordered.

The man swallowed. “She goes to work. Comes home. Doesn’t see many people. She looks miserable. Keeps to herself.”

Mr. Quinn studied him carefully. “Nothing else?”

The man shook his head. “Nothing worth mentioning.”

It was a lie.

He had followed...