Chapter 5 5

The sky was a bruised purple when Aria woke. She moved silently, slipping into a pair of nondescript sweatpants she'd bought from a street vendor the night before. Her back throbbed-a dull, grinding ache from the old fracture-so running was out of the question. Instead, she walked with a rapid, predatory pace, mapping the neighborhood, identifying exit routes and blind spots while the city slept.

She stopped at a bagel shop on the corner. She bought a dozen assorted bagels and two large coffees. She paid with a debit card linked to a shell company, untraceable to the Carlisle estate.

When she walked back into the apartment, Susan was staring into the empty refrigerator with a look of despair.

Aria placed the bag on the table. The smell of fresh yeast and coffee filled the room.

Susan turned, her eyes widening. "Oh, honey, you didn't have to... that's expensive."

"The owner gave me a discount," Aria lied smoothly. "End of the morning rush."

Toby stumbled out of the bedroom, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He saw the bagels and gasped. "Everything bagel!"

Aria smiled. "I need to go to the store for some basics. Toby, want to come?"

Susan hesitated, then reached into a jar on the counter. She pulled out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill. It was soft with age.

"Get some milk," she said. "And maybe some soap."

Aria took the bill. It felt heavier than the black card she had thrown away. She folded it reverently and put it in her pocket.

The street was bustling. Aria held Toby's hand. His palm was sticky and warm. He pointed at everything.

"Look! Candy apples!"

A street vendor was dipping apples into bright red sugar syrup. Toby's eyes tracked the glistening fruit with pure longing.

Aria stopped. "Two, please."

She paid with the loose change in her own pocket. Toby took the apple, his face lighting up like he'd been handed a diamond. He took a bite, red sugar coating his lips immediately.

They walked past an art supply store. Toby stopped again. He pressed his face against the glass, staring at a set of Copic markers displayed on a velvet stand. He didn't ask for them. He knew better. He just looked, tracing the shapes with his finger on the glass.

Aria memorized the brand.

Inside the supermarket, it was chaos. People pushed and shoved. Aria navigated the aisles with military precision, selecting items that were on sale to keep up the charade.

They reached the checkout line. Just as Aria was about to put her basket down, three guys in oversized hoodies cut in front of her. They laughed, ignoring the line of people behind them.

The cashier, a young girl, looked down, too scared to speak.

Aria felt Toby stiffen beside her. He gripped her hand tighter.

Aria tapped her fingers on the handle of the shopping cart. Tap. Tap-tap. Tap. A rhythm to slow her heart rate, to keep the violence contained.

She stepped forward. She didn't raise her voice. She lowered it.

"The line starts back there."

The leader of the group turned slowly. He had a scar over his eyebrow and a sneer practiced in the mirror.

"What did you say, bitch?"

Aria looked him in the eyes. She didn't blink. She projected a sudden, terrifying emptiness. It was the look of someone who had seen things that would make this street thug wet his pants.

"I said, get in line."

The air between them dropped ten degrees. The thug's sneer faltered. His instincts, primal and warning, screamed at him that he had made a mistake. He saw the way she stood-balanced, ready.

He muttered something under his breath, spat on the floor, and jerked his head at his friends. They moved to the back of the line.

Toby looked up at her, his mouth open.

"You're like a superhero," he whispered.

"Just manners, Toby."

On the walk back, Toby chewed on the last of his apple.

"Leo cried last night," he said suddenly.

Aria looked down. "What?"

"After you went to sleep. He was holding Vanessa's picture. He misses her."

Aria felt a pang of sympathy. Not for Vanessa, but for the boy who had been manipulated by her.

When they got home, Aria handed Susan the change. Every penny.

Susan looked at the candy apple stick in Toby's hand, then at the groceries. She didn't ask where the extra money came from. She just squeezed Aria's shoulder.

Aria went to her room. She pulled out her phone.

A text from Nate: [Carlisle Legal just froze your trust. You have zero access to the family accounts. They're trying to starve you out.]

Aria typed back: [Let them try. I don't like owing people anyway.]

She smiled, a cold, sharp expression.