Tonight was far from a clear night—not a single star dotted the deep navy sky.

The wind had picked up, and just as the weather forecast predicted, a thunderstorm was on its way.

Halfway to their destination, the rain started falling.

Hadwin focused on the road ahead, then glanced at the silent figure in the back seat.

“Mr. Sullivan, the main road is under construction, and traffic is a mess. Should we take a shortcut?”

Altsin immediately thought of the small alley he had once followed Chelsea through.

“Take that route,” he instructed.

That path didn’t exist on GPS—he had to rely on memory to find it.

The road was...