Riviera Hotel – 7:46 A.M.
The knock lingered in the air long after it ended, echoing through the walls of the suite like a bell struck in a cathedral. Selene’s hand tightened around Cassien’s, her nails digging into his skin. He didn’t flinch. He only listened his entire body coiled like a predator waiting for its prey to reveal itself.
Another knock. Three taps, measured, unhurried. Whoever it was, they weren’t afraid.
Selene’s lips parted, her whisper barely audible. “What if it’s them?”
Cassien didn’t look at her, didn’t let his expression break. “Then we’re already out of time.”
The air felt heavier, as though the storm hadn’t left but only crawled inside the walls. Selene could hear her own heartbeat, the blood drumming in her ears. She thought of the folder on the table, the bur
