EMILY
The rain started just as we stepped outside. Not a downpour… not yet at least… but a slow, persistent drizzle that soaked into my clothes and made everything feel heavier. Elijah led me to a different car than the one I’d seen before.
This one was older, less sleek. A battered navy sedan with a cracked rearview mirror and a mess of papers on the dashboard.
“Get in,” he said, unlocking the door.
I hesitated just long enough for him to notice.
“You can sit in the back if it makes you feel safer.”
I didn’t move.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Emily. I swore I’d protect your father’s family, and that still means something to me.”
I stared at the seat like it would spring to life and bite me but eventually slid into the front seat.
He drove in silence at first. The city blurred pas
