UNWELCOMED VISITOR
~MATHIAS POV~
The night outside was colder than it should have been. The bright lights from the restaurant's sign flickered above, creating strange shadows on the cracked pavement of the parking lot. It seemed less like a sign and more like a warning, with the words 'Vero Italiano' blinking like a weak heartbeat.
Daxon's voice broke through the sound of faraway cars, sharp and blaming, his tone showing stress. "I told you we shouldn't have brought her here."
I felt my jaw tighten until my teeth ached. "No, you didn't," I snapped back. The regret in my chest was a rock I couldn't cough up, serious and sour. "If you had, we wouldn't be standing here."
The car sat there, waiting. I could see Tate in the back seat. She wasn't crying, but her body language showed she was
