Chapter 848 - 850
He turned the glass slowly in his hand and thought of Mara. She had texted him once since she left. Just one line. "I hope you’re okay." No questions, no accusations, no attempts to return. He hadn’t replied. He didn’t know how. She deserved more than he could offer, and she had made that painfully clear the night she walked out. Jude had always believed that people like him weren’t meant for happy endings, but what stung was that Mara had started to believe that too.
The door of the bar opened and a gust of wind rolled in, making a few napkins flutter off the counter. A figure entered, trench coat brushing his knees, eyes scanning the room until they landed on Jude. Without invitation, the man walked over and took the seat across from him. Jude didn’t look up right away. He already knew who it was.
"Elias," Jude said after a pause, finishing the last of his drink.
"You’ve been hiding," Elias replied. His voice was lower than usual, weighted with something that didn’t sit right.
"I’m not hiding," Jude muttered. "I’m waiting."
"For what?"
Jude didn’t answer. Elias let the silence stretch. He was good at that, letting people fill it with their own confessions. But Jude didn’t flinch. Not anymore. They had known each other too long, through too many failed operations, through blood and broken promises. What bound them wasn’t friendship, it was survival. And guilt.
"You should come see this," Elias said eventually, dropping a small photograph on the table between them. It was folded, slightly torn at the edges, and stained with something brown. Jude stared at it. A warehouse. But not just any warehouse. He recognized the rust patterns, the overhead structure, and the old rail tracks leading out of it.
"Where was this taken?"