Aria’s POV
The drive home felt endless, security vehicles boxing us in on every side, Romanov’s jaw set in a hard line as he coordinated with Dmitri through the comm unit clipped to his collar.
“They peeled off before we reached the main road,” Dmitri reported, his voice tight with what sounded like genuine relief. “No pursuit. Whoever they were, they wanted to be seen, not to engage.”
“A message,” Romanov said, more to himself than to me.
“Reminding us they can find us anywhere,” I said. “Not just the estate.”
He didn’t answer, but his hands tightened against the wheel, and that told me I wasn’t wrong.
By the time we reached the house, the adrenaline had curdled into something heavier, exhaustion pressing down on both of us as we walked through the front doors into a foyer still bea
