Dante stepped out of the hospital’s main entrance with the fluorescent lights flickering faintly above the sliding doors.

His long strides carried him to the edge of the parking lot where the darkness pressed closer, swallowing the edges of the world in quiet menace.

The night air was crisp, carrying with it the faint tang of antiseptic from the hospital and the distant hum of city life.

He pulled his phone from his pocket just as it buzzed, Angelo’s name flashing across the screen.

The conversation was quick but left a heavyweight pressing against his chest.

“They went for the corporate side,” Angelo’s voice was calm, clipped. Efficient. “Guards on...