JESSE

I’ve seen much worse.

Her soft voice played on repeat in my mind. Gentle.

Kind.

The faintest trace of something sad.

I rode the elevator from the underground parking garage up to the twentieth floor. The doors opened directly into the penthouse suite, which could only be accessed via a programmable fob I had attached to my car keys.

It was only fitting that the head of a security firm outfitted his home like a fortress. Safety was always top of

mind for me. And speaking of safety… Vivian.

Her entire neighborhood —not just her building— was questionable. I counted no less than seven broken streetlamps, only two patrol...