~ Lila ~
---
The street was eerily quiet—too quiet for a city at midnight.
I wrapped my coat tighter around me as I stepped out of the car, the cold air clinging to my skin like a warning. My driver lingered at the corner, eyes straight ahead, pretending he wasn’t watching me.
But I knew he’d report back to Damon. Everything I did would eventually find its way to him.
That was okay.
I needed answers before he could spin another polished version of the truth.
The alley looked just the same. The flickering light above the rusty service door still cast an unsettling glow. The faint smell of grease and hidden secrets lingered in the air. I pressed the buzzer twice, hesitated, then pressed it once more.
A pattern I hadn’t used in over four years.
The door clicked open.
There he was, j
