The lighter was still smoking.
Alex picked it up slowly, turning it between his fingers as if it might explain where she had gone.
It didn’t.
It only confirmed one thing.
Lena had planned this.
Victor’s voice broke the silence first. “Seal the exits.”
Bootsteps thundered downstairs as his men moved instantly.
Too late.
Alex already knew that.
“She’s gone,” he said quietly.
Dimitri exhaled a humorless laugh. “You finally understand her.”
Victor’s eyes hardened. “She couldn’t have moved far.”
Alex shook his head once.
“No. She could.”
Because Lena never reacted.
She prepared.
And preparation meant escape routes.
Layers.
Contingencies.
The explosion hadn’t been chaos.
It had been cover.
Outside, rain fell harder, washing away footprints before they could form.
Victor’s m
