The engine of the black sedan didn't just idle; it growled, a low, mechanical snarl that vibrated through the leather seats and into Nala’s spine. Outside, the rain was a torrential sheet of grey, blurring the massive iron gates of Androniko’s estate. But Nala wasn't looking at the rain. She was staring at the dashboard screen, her eyes wide, her pulse hammering against her throat like a trapped bird.
On the live security feed, the camera in Androniko’s master suite was crystal clear. The room was a tomb of grey silk and polished mahogany, cold and untouchable. But there, in the center of the vast bed, sat the crimson rose. It looked like a drop of fresh blood on a white shroud. And pinned to its stem, gleaming under the recessed lighting, was Nala’s silver earring.
The silence inside th
