The peace inside the safe house remained as soft and steady as ever, but far below in the city, the gears of the outside world were slowly beginning to turn. For days, nothing had disturbed the quiet rhythm Cole and Elara had built. But even the best-hidden places cannot stay completely invisible forever, and the first small c***k in their calm came on a bright, clear afternoon.
Cole was in his usual spot in the living room, going over routine security reports on his laptop. Elara sat nearby, reading a book, the sunlight streaming through the tall windows and painting golden streaks across the floor. Everything looked normal, felt normal... Until the small, silent alert light on Cole’s control panel flickered once, then twice.
It was not a loud alarm, not a warning of immediate danger, j
