Chapter 51 – Shared Shadows

Mia woke before dawn.

Not with panic this time. Not with the echo of gunfire in her ears.

Just… awareness.

The kind that settled slowly, uncomfortably, until she realized exactly where she was — and who was beside her.

Mark sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed, his jacket folded neatly over the chair. A gun rested within reach on the nightstand. He hadn’t slept. She could tell by the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers flexed as if they still expected violence to break through the walls.

She watched him quietly.

For the first time, she noticed how tired he looked when he thought no one was looking.

“You’re staring,” he said without turning.

She startled slightly. “You weren’t asleep.”

“No.” He glanced back at her. “You were.”

She pushed herself up against the pillows. “For how long?”

“Long enough to know you talk in your sleep.”

Her heart jumped. “I do not.”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “You told someone to stop lying.”

Heat crept up her neck. “Did I say who?”

“No.” Hi