Page 149 of Dark Night of the Soul

“You know,” he said casually, “that color is going to get you remembered.”

The words settled deep. Something I’d already been thinking about. White hair. Bright. Unmistakable.

I nodded once, turned my attention back to the blueprints. But the decision was made. This wasn’t the place to stand out.

We talked about Munich. About the headquarters we were planning to hit and the systems we needed down before anyone noticed they were gone. Ulrich laid out access points and contingencies. Ludwig—mercifully—kept his commentary technical and to the point.

Kincade filled in the gaps. Where things could fail. Where they usually did.

And where I fit.

We mapped timelines, escape routes, redundancies. What we could risk. What we couldn’t. What we’d burn if it came to that.

By the time the coffee was gone and the light outside the windows had shifted, the plan was no longer theoretical. It had edges now. Weight. Consequences.

We weren’t ready. But we were closer.

Chapter 41 | Anna

The balcony looked out toward the river, the Isar moving steadily through the trees below. It was a view meant to calm people. Today, it reminded me that everything kept going whether we survived Munich or not.

It was late afternoon when the two men left. Pinks and purples bled across the indigo sky. I stood on the balcony—another balcony, another city, another body of water in the distance—and pretended like Ludwig’s comment about my hair didn’t bother me.

It bothered me.

Because Ludwig was right. My white hair was nothing but a way to stand out like a neon banana in a fruit bowl. And if the Brotherhood or Knights operatives were hunting for us—because why wouldn’t they be—I needed to do something about it. To blend in, the way these men seemed to blend in without effort.

Behind me, he was at the table, breaking down a weapon that absolutely did not need breaking down.

I wasn’t interested in that.

What I was interested in was whether there was a drugstore within walking distance.

“Is there a store nearby?” I asked, not turning.

“Yes. A few blocks.”

Of course, he knew. He’d probably mapped the entire area the second we landed.

“I need necessities.” I turned from the balcony, closed and locked the doors. Decision made.

That got his attention.

“What kind of necessities?”

“Girl stuff,” I said, hoping that would throw him off enough to stay here and let me do this on my own. I could find my way to a drugstore without help.

He blinked. “Girl stuff.”

Did he seriously need me to explain? He stared at me, expression flat. I watched him scrolling through mental files labeled things I am not equipped to handle.

“What kind of girl stuff?” he tried.

I leveled him with my most innocent expression.

“Trust me,” I said sweetly. “You don’t want to know.”

Thirty seconds passed.