*Chapter 15: The Alliance*
Aria's eyes locked onto Ryker's, and she saw the pain and determination burning within them. She knew that he was telling the truth.
"Okay," she said finally. "We're in. But we need to come up with a plan to take down Vraxxis."
Ryker nodded, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "I've already started working on that," he said. "But we'll need to gather more information before we can make our move."
Elijah nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I can help with that," he said. "I have some contacts within the mafia who might be willing to talk."
Aria's eyes widened as she realized the implications. "You mean, you have a mole within the mafia?" she asked.
Elijah's expression turned serious. "Let's just say that I have someone who owes me a favor," he said.
Ryker's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's perfect," he said. "With that kind of information, we can take down Vraxxis and bring the mafia to its knees."
As they began to discuss their plan, Aria felt a sense of hope that she hadn't felt in weeks. Maybe, just maybe, they could actually do this.
But as they talked, Aria couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She glanced around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Still, the feeling persisted.