Chapter 49

At the motel, Romeo paces anxiously until Ace snaps that Keres is gone. A note said she took Romeo’s bike for waffles, but Ace concludes she left for good. The argument escalates; Ace grabs Romeo by the throat, demanding that Romeo accept Keres’s abandonment and reaffirming that they only have each other. They end the confrontation with a tense, painful pledge: “You are all I fucking need.”

The men ride back to Chicago in uneasy silence, bracing for Lorenzo Moretti’s judgment. Ace fears punishment and the loss of Lorenzo’s respect, which he values deeply. In the library, Lorenzo’s contempt confirms their failure.

When asked, Ace reports the job is clean and that Keres is gone. Lorenzo relieves both of their duties, surprising them with six months’ pay instead of violence. The dismissal stings, but the lack of retribution confuses them.

Before they leave, Lorenzo shares two revelations: Keres believed he would kill them for failing and begged him not to hurt them, offering herself in their place. He then discloses that Keres did not go to Greece, overturning Ace and Romeo’s assumptions and reigniting unresolved feelings and questions about her true plans.