LILA
My heart hammered against my ribs as I slammed through the side door of the old warehouse.
My clothes were torn, my cheek throbbed from the punch I’d taken earlier, and every breath burned.
I owed the syndicate money—bad decision after bad decision—and now they were hunting me.
Then I saw him.
Elias Voss. My stepbrother. The last person I expected to find in a hidden lab under this dump, surrounded by glowing vials and strange equipment.
“Elias? Thank goodness you’re here,” I gasped, stumbling forward. “They’re coming after me. I didn’t know this was your place…”
I bumped into something. Red lights flashed. A low alarm hummed. “Shit.”
Elias spun toward me, eyes wide. “Lila, you can’t be here. This lab is secret. The stuff I’m working on… it’s not legal.”
He grabbed my arms
