The safehouse was a fortress of shadows.
Outside, the sun clawed its way over the horizon, bleeding light across the shattered skyline. Inside, silence stretched like a taut wire—one I knew could snap at any second.
I leaned against the kitchen counter, fingers wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee I didn’t intend to drink. Sleep was a ghost that refused to touch me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the cages. Heard the screams.
“Thinking too loud, boss.”
I looked up to see Alonzo leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, dark eyes sharp even beneath the weight of exhaustion.
“Did I wake you?” I asked, setting the mug aside.
“Didn’t sleep.” He stepped closer, his gaze tracing my face. “Neither did you.”
I shrugged. “Not the first time.”
“But it should be the last.” He reached
