Lina stood by the window, watching three black SUVs idle near the stone fountain, their exhaust plumes thick in the damp air. Hugo Sidney was working the line, handing out Kevlar vests from a trunk like he was passing out party favors. He barked an order, and two guards broke into a jog toward the south perimeter.The clock was wrong. The shift change was hours away. The Moretti estate was growing teeth.Lina turned from the glass. She didn't panic; she moved. In the bathroom, she cranked the hot water until the pipes groaned. Steam billowed from the porcelain sink, thick and suffocating. She soaked a towel in the scalding water and pressed it to her face, her neck, her collarbones. She held it there, enduring the sting until her skin was a deep, feverish crimson.She retreated to the bedroom, collapsed onto the mattress, and curled into a ball. She dug her nails into her palms, focusing on the sharp, white-hot pain until the tears finally spilled.With a shaky hand, she swiped the be
Last Updated : 2026-04-12 Read more