The dawn broke over the city with a cruel indifference, painting the sky in shades of cold gray that matched Alessia’s sinking heart. The storm had passed, but its aftermath clung to everything—the dripping streets, the shattered glass, and the heavy silence that settled like a shroud around the safehouse. Somewhere in the distance, sirens screamed, but here, inside these crumbling walls, the only sound was the slow, relentless tick of the clock counting down what little time they had left.
Alessia stared out the grimy window, watching the world awaken to a day that felt darker than any night. Her hands trembled, the weight of the pistol still heavy in her grip. She could still taste the cold metal, still feel the rush of adrenaline from the fight at the docks, the fear, the desperate plu
