The elevator doors closed with a sharp metallic sound as Ethan Morgan pressed the button for the underground parking garage. The tension inside the small space was suffocating. Lila Hart stood beside him, her heart pounding so violently she could feel it in her throat. The photo on Ethan’s phone still burns in her mind the image of a man standing outside her apartment door like a silent predator waiting for the right moment to strike. The rain outside had grown heavier, thunder rumbling across the sky like a warning that something terrible was approaching. Ethan’s jaw was tight, his expression darker than she had ever seen it.
“Ethan…” she whispered carefully.
He didn’t look at her at first. His eyes were fixed on the elevator numbers slowly descending toward the basement level. “You sho
