Shirley
I didn’t sleep that night.
The confrontation with Asher played on repeat in my mind like a broken record. His eyes—usually calm, warm, maybe even kind—had held something darker when I questioned him. And when I asked who he really was? The way he hesitated, the way his entire demeanor shifted… I wasn’t stupid. He knew more than he was letting on.
Everyone did.
The morning sun did little to brighten my mood. I dragged myself out of bed, stomach churning with unease. I had planned to avoid both Dante and Asher, but I couldn’t avoid work. At least at the bar, I could pretend to be normal. Just another woman in a small town with too many secrets and too little peace.
The moment I stepped into the building, I felt it.
A shift in energy. Tension curled in the air like smoke—thick,
