The safehouse wasn’t safe anymore.
That was the first thing I realized when we stepped through the rusted door, our boots echoing against the cracked floorboards. It was too quiet. The kind of silence that pressed on your ears until every heartbeat felt like thunder. Dust hung thick in the air, but the tracks on the ground told another story—someone had been here. Recently.
Adrian’s hand shot up, signaling stillness. His eyes flicked across the corners of the dim interior. Kael, leaning heavier on his uninjured side now, pressed his back to the wall and raised his rifle. I tightened my grip on mine, though sweat slicked my palms. Nora stood a few steps behind Adrian, her expression carved from stone, unreadable as ever.
Then the floor creaked.
We spun as one, weapons raised, only to fi
