Smoke curled through the air, thick and choking. The opera house had become an inferno of chaos, the flames climbing the velvet curtains like hungry creatures. The echo of the gunshot still rang in my ears.
I could not move at first. My body froze between the screams, the smell of burning wood, and the sharp metallic taste of fear.
“Adrian!” I called, my voice barely cutting through the roar.
He was on his knees near the edge of the stage, his hand pressed against his shoulder. Blood seeped between his fingers.
“I’m fine,” he hissed, though his voice trembled. “Get down!”
Another shot cracked through the air, splintering the marble column beside me. Daniel had moved behind the orchestra pit, his gun raised, firing at the upper balcony. The Broker was no longer alone. Two of his men ap
