The car tore through Ashveil like it owned the streets. Tires screamed at every corner, shadows split by flashes of neon and firelight. Serena clutched Aria against her, the stink of blood and smoke filling the backseat.
"Stay with me," Serena whispered, pressing her hand hard against Aria's ribs. "You're fine. You're fine."
Aria chuckled weakly, voice frayed. "You lie like me now."
"Shut the fuck up." Serena pushed harder, felt blood soaking through her palms. "Save your breath."
The driver's voice cut sharp from the front. "She's not dying in my car. Hold her steady."
Serena looked up. The scarred woman's face glowed in the dash light—sharp jaw, dark eyes like broken glass, and a jagged scar carving down her cheek like someone once tried to take her head off and failed. She drove one-handed, cigarette clamped between her teeth, the smoke curling back at them.
Aria groaned, forcing her eyes open. "Mara?"
The woman didn't glance back. "Took you long enough to recognize me."
Serena froze. "You know her?"
"Know her?" Aria coughed wetly. "I used to run this fucking city with her."
Mara finally looked back, cigarette glowing. "Correction—you used to try. Then you walked. Left me holding the knife."
Aria winced, whether from blood loss or words Serena couldn't tell. "I told you—"
"Don't." Mara's voice cut like steel. "Not in front of glass." Her eyes flicked to Serena, cold and assessing. "Who the fuck is this?"
Serena's spine snapped straight. "Serena Vale."
The car swerved, tires shrieking. Mara barked a laugh so sharp it hurt. "You brought a Vale into my backseat, Aria? Jesus Christ, you really do have a death wish."
Aria hissed, voice low. "She's with me."
"Yeah? For how long? Until Daddy sends a kill squad with more than pistols? Until the girl gets tired of slumming it?" Mara shook her head, cigarette bouncing. "You've lost it."
Serena's jaw clenched. "She's bleeding out, and you're wasting time talking shit?"
Mara's grin didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, the princess has teeth."
"Fix her." Serena leaned forward, eyes hot. "Or I swear—"
"You'll what? Call the cops? Cry to Daddy?" Mara's laugh was rough, mean. "You're in my world now, glass. Threats don't mean shit unless you can back them up."
Aria coughed hard, spitting red onto the floor mat. "Both of you—shut up."
That silenced the car. Mara ground the cigarette out in the ashtray and jammed the wheel left. The car skidded into an alley so tight Serena swore they'd scrape both mirrors off. She killed the lights, coasted through shadows, and parked against a steel door tagged with decades of graffiti.
"Out," Mara ordered.
Serena helped Aria stumble out, the older woman slinging an arm around Serena's shoulders, both of them half-carrying her. Mara banged on the steel door in a rhythm that sounded like code. A moment later, it buzzed, and she shoved them inside.
The hideout was bigger than Serena expected. Not clean—never clean—but secure. Reinforced walls, low lamps, crates stacked high. A table in the corner had medical supplies that didn't look stolen. Mara shoved aside a chair with her boot.
"Put her down."
Serena lowered Aria onto the table, pressing the rag back against her wound. Aria hissed, teeth bared, but didn't push her away. Mara stripped off her jacket, rolled up her sleeves, and pulled a kit from under the table.
"You do this often?" Serena asked, voice clipped.
Mara raised a brow. "Patch holes in idiots who can't stay out of Vale business? Every other week." She yanked gloves on, snapped them tight. "Hold her still."
Serena braced Aria's shoulders. Aria grabbed her wrist with surprising strength, eyes blazing. "Don't flinch, princess. Makes it worse."
Mara dug the bullet out like she'd done it a hundred times. Aria's body jerked, teeth sinking into her lip until blood bloomed. Serena's heart hammered, but she held firm.
"Got it." Mara dropped the bloody shard into a tray. "Through-and-through. She'll live." She threaded a needle like she was sewing leather. "Assuming she stops chasing tower girls long enough to heal."
Serena snapped, "Say another word like that and—"
"And what?" Mara leaned in close, eyes sharp. "You'll what, glass? Tell me your last name again like it scares me? I've watched Vales bleed out on the pavement. You're nothing but silk over rot."
Serena's nails dug into the table edge. "You think I don't know that?"
That stopped Mara. Just for a second.
Aria groaned, breaking the silence. "Mara—enough."
Mara stitched fast, tight, efficient. When she tied the last knot, she leaned back, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. "She'll live. For now."
Serena brushed damp hair from Aria's forehead, chest tight. "You're safe."
Aria cracked a weak grin. "Safe's not real. But thanks for pretending."
Mara lit another cigarette, exhaling smoke toward the ceiling. "She's right. Safe's not real. Especially not now." She fixed Serena with a hard stare. "Your uncle will burn half the city looking for you. And you—" She jabbed the cigarette at Aria. "—you just painted a target bigger than I've ever seen on your back."
Aria smirked, voice raw. "Been a target my whole life."
"Not like this." Mara blew smoke slow. "You didn't just poke the bear. You fucked his daughter."
Heat shot up Serena's neck, but she didn't look away. "That's none of your business."
"Everything's my business if it gets me killed." Mara leaned forward, voice low, dangerous. "You're dragging me into a war I didn't start. And if I'm gonna stand between you and a Vale bullet, I need to know why."
Her gaze cut to Aria. "Why her? Why now?"
The room went still. Aria's smirk faltered, eyes flicking to Serena.
Serena's chest clenched. She wanted Aria to say it. To admit it wasn't a game.
Aria dragged her tongue across her teeth, exhaled slow. "Because she makes me forget I'm gutter trash."
The words landed like a gut punch. Serena's throat closed. Mara studied her for a long, cold beat, then nodded once.
"Fine. You're both idiots. But you're my idiots now. Which means we move. Tonight."
Serena frowned. "Move where?"
Mara's smile was sharp, wicked. "Someplace even your uncle's dogs don't sniff. You want to stay alive? You follow my rules. No questions."
She crushed the cigarette out, stood, and grabbed a shotgun from the wall like it was an umbrella. "Get some rest. We leave at dawn."
Serena looked at Aria, pale but smirking even through the pain. "Told you," Aria murmured. "Suicide."
Serena squeezed her hand. "Worth it."
Mara rolled her eyes and muttered, "Fuck me, I'm babysitting lovers now."
But Serena didn't care. For the first time, she wasn't just surviving—she was choosing.
And she'd burn with Aria before she let anyone take that away.