Leah froze in the shadows, Jason’s words sinking into her like ice. He knew. He had always known. The guards stopped mid-step, their heads snapping toward her corner. Rifles lifted, safeties clicked off.

Her only chance was movement.

She rolled out from the corner, firing twice—controlled, sharp bursts. One guard dropped; the other staggered, weapon clattering against the wall. But the sound ripped through the villa like thunder. Boots thundered above her, shouts filling the stairwell.

Jason stood by the tall windows of the villa’s upstairs room, watching the night bleed into a dull gray. The city beyond the estate walls was restless, alive with whispers only he seemed to...