~Maxine's POV~
The neon haze of downtown Seattle blurred at the edges as I stumbled out of The Midnight Sun bar, the bass from inside still thumping in my chest like a second heartbeat. It was past two a.m., and the street was a ghost town, empty sidewalks slick with rain, the kind that never quite washed away the grime.
I was Maxine Harlow, twenty-eight, marketing exec by day, party girl by night when the loneliness clawed too deep. Tonight, I'd drowned it in far too many cosmos, the vodka buzzing warm through my veins, making my hips sway just a little extra in my tight black skirt and cropped top. Heels clicking unevenly, I fished my phone from my purse, squinting at the map.
Home was only six blocks away, but the main drag felt too exposed, too straight. I needed the shortcut throu
