Sophia
Coordinates.
The air smelled like damp wood and rotting secrets.
I stood in front of the villa with my jacket pulled tight around my body. The sleeves didn’t cover the bruise on my arm. I didn’t care. The wind blew hard against my face, but I barely blinked. My lips were dry. I licked them without thinking. My hand trembled against the brass handle, rusted and cold like the ghosts inside.
“This is it,” Isabella said behind me, her voice quiet like she was afraid someone might hear us even though we were alone. Her flashlight clicked on. I heard the soft hum of it.
I nodded once. My throat was tight. The coordinates led us here—a crumbling villa just outside the city, tucked in the woods like someone tried to forget it. Ricci’s father used to own this place. I didn’t even know i
