The street outside the compound was quieter than I expected.
I walked without direction. Just movement.
Frank’s voice followed anyway, pressing against my ribs like a weight I couldn’t shake.
I stopped at the first place I found that wasn't his house. A small café on the corner. Chairs outside. Nobody looking at me.
I sat down. Ordered nothing and stared at the table.
"You look terrible."
My head snapped up.
Magnus Vance sat down across from me like he had been waiting for the chair to be warm. Same face. Same careful grooming. Same eyes.
The back of my neck prickled. Then, the feeling drained out of my arms like someone had cut the wires. For a second, I couldn't feel my hands.
"Don't." He said it quietly enough that the couple at the next table kept laughing.
"Don't run. Don't
