Chapter 24: Xavier’s Return.
Xavier stepped out of the car, expecting the usual—Grady’s rundown bar, the faint stench of old liquor, and Cielle’s familiar presence somewhere inside. Instead, his breath stalled.
The entire building was gone.
Only charred remains stood where the bar used to be, its skeletal walls blackened and crumbling. The roof had caved in, debris spilling onto the sidewalk, and a faded yellow police caution line stretched across the entrance.
Xavier’s chest tightened. This wasn’t what he expected.
His hands curled into fists as he took in the scene, his mind racing. What the hell happened here? How long had it been like this? More importantly—where was Cielle?
His first instinct was to storm through the wreckage, to search for any sign of her. But the caution tape
