Azlyn’s breath caught painfully in her chest.That wasn’t Olivia.Itcouldn’tbe.Olivia had been glowing earlier, practically vibrating with excitement over her date.She was probably still at the restaurant, charming the poor man’s pants off.
Azlyn pulled out her phone again, her fingers trembling as she tapped Olivia’s number.The phone rang as she crossed the street, drawing closer to the commotion, her heart banging against her ribs.
Olivia would answer.She’d be irritated and dramatic about Azlyn calling so late—maybe she’d accuse her of being overprotective, or nosy, or weirdly maternal.
They’d laugh.
They’d watch the circus from the townhouse steps and wonder what on earth had happened on this block tonight.
Maybe Azlyn could even spin the mess into a research piece—“Urban Chaos and the Myth of the Safe Street,” or something just as sensational.
The phone kept ringing.
And then someone answered.But it wasn’t Olivia.
“Olivia Hister’s phone.Who is this?”
Azlyn froze mid-step, heart thudding in her ears.At the same moment, she saw one of the police officers lift a phone away from his ear and glance down at the screen.
“Hello?”he said again.“Can I ask who is calling?”
Azlyn ended the call without answering.Her voice had completely deserted her.
No.No, no, no.This wasn’t happening.
Olivia was too alive.Too loud and magnetic and maddening.People like her didn’t just… disappear.They didn’t end up zipped into a body bag.
They lit up rooms.They caused scenes at brunch.
They didn’tdie.
Azlyn’s grip tightened on the baby sling as her eyes darted toward movement across the street.
A man had just stepped out from the shadows of a building.Baseball cap pulled low, shoulders hunched.He wasn’t gawking like the others.He didn’t even glance at the scene.
And that was exactly why she noticed him.
While everyone else stared, horrified or curious, this man looked like he wanted to melt into the pavement.He kept his head down, adjusting the brim of his hat as if trying to avoid the orbit of the news cameras.
Azlyn instinctively stepped backward, tucking herself and Griffin into a shadowed doorway.She didn’t know this man.But something about him—his tension, his timing—lit up a warning bell in her gut.
He wasn’t justavoidingattention.He was dodging it like it could expose him.
Was this just a hit and run?
Or had someonemade sureOlivia didn’t make it to her front door?
Azlyn’s arms tightened protectively around her baby.The grief roiling in her chest twisted into something sharper.
Fear.And fury.
Something terrible had happened here tonight—and she wasn’t convinced it had been an accident.
Chapter 14
“What’s so interesting?”Zayn asked, scrubbing a tired hand down his face as he walked into the sitting room.The shadows under his eyes were darker than usual, and his movements held the sluggish weight of another sleepless night.Not with those damn dreams about…Azlyn.Always Azlyn.When would she finally get out of his head?
Saif looked up from the tablet in his hands, his expression casual.“Weren’t you interviewed by Olivia Hister about a year ago?”
