Naomi’s POV

The house was too quiet.

Even with guards posted outside, even with security lights glowing faintly over the pool, I felt the silence pressing in. It wasn’t the silence of safety. It was the silence of a stage before the curtain rose.

I sat on the edge of my bed, pistol in my lap, eyes fixed on the ceiling. I had told myself I wouldn’t sleep tonight, and I hadn’t. The storm had passed but the air was still heavy, sticky against my skin. Each creak of wood, each sigh of the pipes sent my heart lurching.

At some point, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I rose, tucked...