POV: Alexander Kane
The car hummed through the night, Brooklyn’s jagged edges fading into the Long Island Expressway’s blur. Elena sat beside me, her duffel clutched tight, her jaw set like she was ready to bolt again. The emerald dress still clung to her curves, a cruel reminder of that kiss on the gala balcony: her lips soft, then fierce, unraveling me in a way I hadn’t planned. Now, her eyes were daggers, cutting through the dim light. She’d given me one chance, but trust? That was a long way off. And yet, the air between us crackled, heavy with something neither of us could name.
I gripped the wheel, my knuckles white, trying to focus on the road and not the heat radiating from her. Victor’s text burned in my pocket: My turn. He was circling, a shark smelling blood, and Elena was cau
