Max’s words kept echoing in my head long after the call ended.

Elira. Sierra. Gone.

I didn’t even stop to think—I grabbed my gun from the table and was already moving toward the door when the line in my ear buzzed.

“Max,” I said, walking fast, “tell me where she went. The path she took—anything.”

“I’m still checking the cams,” he replied. “They left in a dark SUV, no plates. Maybe the east side.”

I barely heard the rest. My hand was already on the doorknob when something made me freeze.

She was standing right outside.

Elira.

Cold eyes. Steady hands. And a gun pointed straight at me.

For a...