The car sped through the deserted streets, its tires slicing through puddles left behind by the evening rain. Water sprayed up in thin sheets, blurring the streetlights into streaks of gold that stretched across the windows like trembling fingers.
The city outside looked unreal, still, empty, watching.
Inside the SUV, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Elena sat rigid in the back seat, every breath shallow as she tried to will her hands to stop trembling. No matter how tightly she clasped them together, the tremors wouldn’t stop. The scent of gunpowder still clung to her skin, sharp and metallic. Her ears rang with phantom echoes of the shots fired minutes ago.
Beside her, Damian was a statue carved from shadow and tension. His jaw looked as if it had been locked into place, the sharp li
