"Dead." Kael didn't soften it. He didn't decorate it. He let it be blunt, because anything else would sound like guilt dressed as sympathy.
He placed the dagger closer to his neck. "How? you better be very fucking careful now, newcomer." The steel pressed just enough to remind Kael how easy it would be to open skin. Around them, the clan's green dots held steady. Nobody moved to stop the boss. That meant this was normal.
This was how they sorted liabilities.
"He tried to kill me…" Kael said. He chose the simplest line that could carry the most weight. He didn't add details yet. Details were where lies died.
The rest of the group seemed to frown and whisper things amongst themselves. Kael caught fragments, muttered disbelief, suspicion, the kind of low conversation that weighed a person like meat on a scale. He kept his face steady, even when his heartbeat hammered in his ears.
