The call came just as the sky finally broke.
Rain streaked down the glass walls of the penthouse in slanted silver lines, the distant thunder no longer faint but close enough to feel in the bones. Amelia stood near the window, watching the city blur beneath the storm, when she sensed it—before she heard anything.
The air changed.
Behind her, Ethan had gone still.
Not the relaxed stillness from earlier. Not the quiet presence she was starting to associate with safety.
This was different.
Sharp. Controlled. Dangerous.
She turned just as his phone vibrated again in his hand. This time, he didn’t silence it.
He stared at the screen for a long moment, jaw tightening, shoulders squaring like a man bracing for impact. Whatever warmth had lingered in his expression vanished, replaced by so
