CHAPTER 24 — THE FIRST BLOOD
The city did not explode into chaos.
That was the mistake people always expected.
War, Alessandro had once told Amara, never announced itself with noise. It began with absences. With delayed messages. With doors that did not open when they should.
And by dawn, Amara understood exactly what he meant.
THE MORNING THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
The estate woke slowly.
Too slowly.
Amara noticed it the moment she stepped into the corridor. Guards were present, but fewer than usual. Conversations stopped when she passed. Phones were checked, then checked again.
Clara appeared beside her, face pale but composed.
“We’ve lost three routes,” she said quietly.
Amara didn’t stop walking. “Taken or abandoned?”
“Taken,” Clara replied. “Cleanly.”
That word mattered.
Cl
