Chapter 15 · The Third Name

"Your sister's in the car."

Ephraim froze halfway through the door. Mara stood in the alley behind his shop, one hand resting on the roof of a black sedan, the other holding her gun low but visible.

"You don't have a sister," he said.

"I don't." She tilted her head toward the back window. "You do."

He could see the shape through the tinted glass. Small. Still. He moved before he could think, but Mara stepped into his path.

"She's fine," Mara said. "For now."

"Move."

"Not until you give me the name."

Ephraim's hand went to his belt. No knife. He'd left it inside when she called. Stupid. "I gave you three accounts. That was the deal."

"The deal changed." Mara's voice didn't rise. It didn't need to. "The accounts led to a dead auditor's login. Someone's using his credentials in real time. That means someone inside the engine is still breathing, still moving money, and they know we're looking. So I need the fourth name. The one you didn't write down."

"There is no fourth name."

"Liar."

The word came out flat. She moved her gun hand, just an inch, enough to shift the weight. Not a threat.