"Hey... hey..." The voice, deep and distinctly masculine, cut through the silence of my half-conscious mind, though it sounded far away, echoing through the fog of sleep that clung to me. It took a moment to realize I wasn’t dreaming, that the voice was real and much closer than it seemed. My body had melted into the seat, lulled by the soft, luxurious leather that hugged my form, the hum of the air conditioning a cool whisper in the background. The quiet inside the vehicle had woven a cocoon around me, making it easy to drift away. I hadn’t slept well in what felt like weeks, maybe even months. Stretched thin by endless days and sleepless nights, I’d grown unfamiliar with rest. But here, confined to a seat that felt as close to a bed as anything had in ages, sleep had wrapped me in its em
