The fire crackled in the corner, casting jagged shadows along the wooden walls. It did little to chase away the cold seeping into Alessia’s bones. She stared at the woman sitting across from her, drenched from the storm, her lips trembling not just from the cold — but from something far deeper. Guilt. Fear. Secrets.
“Start talking,” Lorenzo said, pacing behind Alessia like a predator circling its prey. “You’ve got two minutes before I put a bullet in your spine.”
The woman swallowed hard, removing a soaked glove to reveal a bruised knuckle. “My name is Dana. I worked under Viktor. For years. I thought I was loyal to a cause that meant something, until I learned what we were really building.”
Alessia’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “You were part of the organization. You knew a
