The rain started hitting the windshield the moment Ethan slammed his foot on the gas. The blacked-out city was a complete mess—gridlocked cars, blaring horns, and flashing hazard lights creating a suffocating maze.
Ethan drove the heavy SUV like a man possessed, cutting across sidewalks and blowing through dead intersections without slowing down.
Bella clutched the grab handle with one hand, her phone pressed to her ear with the other. It kept ringing. Five times. Six times.
"Come on, pick up," she muttered, her knuckles turning white.
"Still nothing?" Ethan asked, his eyes darting between the rearview mirror and the dark road ahead.
"The sanctuary has its own backup generators. They should have power," Bella said, her voice dropping into a tight, dangerous register. "The guards aren
