Chapter 28: A Dead End.
Xavier sat in the dim glow of his apartment, the cigarette in his fingers burning down to the filter. His ashtray was already full, but he barely noticed. His mind was elsewhere—on a girl he barely knew.
He ran a hand down his face, exhaling sharply. What the hell was he even doing?
He knew next to nothing about Cielle. She was blonde, quiet, always looking over her shoulder like she was expecting something bad to happen. She had worked night shifts, took shortcuts through the city like a ghost, and disappeared without a trace after punching her boss and quitting.
That wasn’t much to go on.
And yet, here he was, chasing down scraps of information like a man who had nothing better to do.
He tapped his fingers against the table, piecing together what little he h
