The silence wasn’t just empty anymore.
It was crawling.
Makayla could feel it—like something pressing against her skin, something watching. The moment Gino had vanished, the night had turned heavier, thicker. The air felt wrong.
She didn’t know how long they stood there, barely breathing, their bodies still locked in the moment. But it was too long.
Too much time wasted standing still when they needed to move.
Vivienne was the first to shift.
“Keep walking.” Her voice was flat, controlled, but Makayla could hear the tension beneath it.
Mikhail hesitated, his jaw clenched tight. He was still looking around, scanning the shadows like he expected Gino to reappear.
Makayla hated that she was doing the same thing.
It didn’t matter.
They wouldn’t see him unless he wanted them to.
And
