The metallic taste of fear lingered in my mouth as I steadied myself, every nerve screaming that the chaos from the previous moment wasn’t over. Adrian’s grip on my hand was a tether to reality, grounding me, but it also reminded me that he was as alert, as vulnerable, as I was. The gunshot had changed everything, splintered the fragile illusion of control we’d clung to.
“I need you focused,” Adrian muttered, eyes scanning the room, calculating every shadow, every angle, every heartbeat that could betray movement. There was no room for hesitation, not now.
I swallowed hard, mind racing. Thoughts collided, fear, suspicion, guilt, and an underlying spark of determination that refused to be extinguished. The adrenaline prickled through my veins, sharpening my senses, pulling me into a state
