ВойтиMorning arrived in Sunset City. The air still carried the damp, earthy smell of the rain that had fallen through the night, mingled with the faint scent of wet asphalt and decaying leaves. Puddles dotted the streets, reflecting the pale grey sky above like scattered mirrors. A thin layer of mist clung to the ground, blurring the edges of buildings and trees.
Avery descended the stairs with heavy steps, each one feeling like she was wading through water. The exhaustion from the past day
Just past ten in the morning, the doorbell rang.Avery came out of the kitchen and looked through the peephole. Evan stood at the door in a dark grey coat, empty-handed. She opened the door.Evan saw her and spoke first. "The nurse said the VIP room was empty last night." He paused. "You brought your mother home?""Yes."He nodded without pressing further. "Need any help?"He stood at the door for a few seconds, as if waiting for her to say something. Avery looked at him, smiled briefly, and stepped aside to let him in. She didn't answer his question directly, and he didn't push.
The night in Sunset City had grown deep and still. The top-floor ward had no windows, so there was no sound of wind outside, only the steady hum of the central air conditioning through the vents.Isabelle lay on her side on the narrow bed, her breathing already slow and even.Avery stood at the doorway for a moment, watching her. Only when she was certain her mother was truly asleep did she pull the door gently closed and step back into the corridor.Drake was leaning against the wall beside the elevator. He straightened when he saw her."I'm not going back tonight," Avery said. "The room next door is empty, right?""Already h
Evening descended on Sunset City without warning, the light fading so quietly that Avery barely noticed the transition from gold to grey.Evan's car pulled up slowly in front of the apartment building, the tires crunching softly against the worn asphalt. Avery pushed open the door and stepped out, a carefully wrapped insulated pastry box in her hand.She had made a detour before leaving Obsidian City, driving across town to the dessert shop Dorothea loved most, the one with the long queue that snaked around the block every afternoon. She had waited in line for nearly an hour, holding her place against the impatient crowd, just to buy a cream cake that had survived the journey intact. The box was still cool to the touch, the condensation beading on its surface proof that the cold pack had held.
The sunlight in Sunset City was thinner than in Obsidian City. Around three in the afternoon, the light filtered through the tinted glass and spread across the arrival hall floor in a warm, pale glow.When Avery walked out of the exit, she spotted Evan immediately among the crowd waiting at the pick-up area. He was leaning against a pillar, wearing a dark grey coat with no tie, a half-empty cup of coffee in his hand. He wasn't scanning the crowd. He just stood there, the kind of man who clearly wasn't in a hurry.She walked up to him. Evan looked up, set his coffee cup on the nearest trash bin, and straightened."The flight was easy to track. Obsidian City to Sunset City, only one flight this afternoon. I guessed right."
Buzz—Buzz—The vibration cut through the silence of the study like a blade. Dominic turned his head slightly, his hand finding the private communicator on the edge of the console with unerring precision. He pressed the receive button without hesitation.Avery pulled out her own phone, the cold glow of the screen illuminating her face in the dim room. She saw Drake's message immediately and opened it without a second thought.The communicator crackled with static before Drake's voice came through, slightly distorted but sharp and urgent. "Boss, we've confirmed Wenger's whereabouts in Sunset City. He was staying at a small hotel on the outskirts, but he checked out two hours ago. We searched the room. Found something hidden in the
The vehicle had been silent for about three minutes. The only sound was the low hum of the engine and the occasional crackle of gravel under the tires.Drake glanced down at the chamber's readings every few seconds, his fingers resting on the edge without moving. His posture was alert, ready to react at the first sign of trouble. When the tires rolled over the seams in the road, the chamber stayed locked in place. The mounts held firm, the base connectors intact.Avery leaned against the rear wall, her back pressed against the cold metal. She could feel the lateral force each time the vehicle turned, the subtle shift of momentum pushing her against the paneling. She closed her eyes and ran through the route from the private box to the rolling shutter one more time.
5:45 AM. The sky was still dark, but Avery was already dressed.She wore a dark, slim-fit overcoat to blend into the twilight. She slipped the bronze key Wenger had given her and her burner phone into her pocket. Her heartbeat thundered against her eardrums.She cracked the bedroom door open with p
When Avery opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Dominic's Adam's apple, inches from her face.The taut line of his throat shifted slightly with each steady breath. She realized, with a jolt of panic, that at some point she had wrapped her arms around him, her fingers still clutching the fab
Julian was being held in a private care facility less than a ten-minute drive from the villa.Calling it a "facility" was a stretch; it was an independent building under Dominic's name. Men in black suits patrolled the perimeter, and two black SUVs sat in the courtyard, engines idling, with people
Avery stared at those words. Her phone hit the carpet. Before she could pick it up, Dominic was already moving."Drake. Clear the entire second floor. Inside and out." His brow was tight, his face stone serious."Dorothea's room. Now."Footsteps surged from every direction.The living room lights a







