The transition from the freezing rain to the leather interior of the backup SUV was a blur of shadows and muted sounds.
I didn’t remember being carried out of the warehouse. I barely remembered the gunfire fading behind us or the heavy warehouse doors slamming shut against the storm. Everything blurred together into shadows, flashing security lights, and the overwhelming scent of cedarwood, rain, and gunpowder wrapped around me like a second skin.
I was shaking uncontrollably. Not from the cold alone.
Silas sat beside me like a wall of restrained violence, one powerful arm locked tightly around my waist as though he thought I might disappear into thin air if he loosened his grip for even a second.
His white dress shirt was soaked through, ruined, stained with rainwater and streaked wit
