CHAPTER NINE: Lapses
Cassandra
The city welcomed Cassandra back with cold rain and steel skies.
New York always felt sharper after the coast, less forgiving, more watchful. The hospital rose before her like a fortress of glass and light, familiar yet newly dangerous. She adjusted Jay on her hip as Bosco’s driver opened the car door.
“Remember,” Bosco said quietly from the back seat, “routine today. No deviations.”
She nodded. “I know.”
Bosco’s gaze lingered on Jay, then on her. “And Cassandra, if anything feels wrong...”
“I’ll call,” she promised.
She stepped out, heart pounding, unaware that eyes were already on her from across the street.
Watching.
Waiting.
*****
Lyra
Lyra had never believed in coincidence.
She stood inside a sleek café across from Cassandra’s hospital, her
