Knox:
The tanning salon stank of fake coconuts and sweat. I kicked in the back door with one solid boot, and the sound of it slamming against the wall was like a war drum in my blood. This place looked different from the outside—new name, new sign, same sickness rotting the inside.
Sterling did know how to slap a fresh coat of paint on his decay.
My fists were already clenched. My jaw locked. I could feel it in my teeth—that deep hum, that familiar burn crawling under my skin. That part of me I spent years burying, scraping down into nothing.
He brought it back.
This was justice.
Viv slipped in behind me, gun in hand, low and lethal. Her eyes were hard. Set. Not a single trace of fear. Just fire.
We didn’t speak.
We didn’t need to.
There were three rooms off the back hallway. Offi
