Chapter Nine

Six years later

Kyla

That’s how long it’s been since I last saw the skyline of New York City.

The sharp lines of the towering buildings, the chaos of yellow cabs honking down Fifth Avenue, and the smell God, I’d forgotten the smell of roasted peanuts and hot dog stands blending with the distinct scent of rain hitting concrete.

I stare out of the cab window, my fingers tightening around the leather strap of my purse. Chanel is asleep beside me, her tiny head leaning against my side. Elias sits on the other end, earbuds in and eyes focused on the screen of his iPad. They don’t know what this city means to me, what ghosts lie buried beneath its glittering streets.

But they will. One day, they will.

“Here we are, ma’am,” the cab driver says, pulling up outside the modest brownstone I’d rented through an alias.

I nod and reach for my wallet. “Thanks,” I say, handing over the fare and nudging Chanel gently. “Sweetheart, we’re here.”

She blinks up at me sleepily, then stretches her little a