She’d burn for him.
And she’d never even see it coming.
CHAPTER 33
Fractured Roses
The destroyed rose, the broken windows, and the shattered glass lay like a warning shot across the pavement.
Gideon had been in plenty of fights.
None of them felt like this.
This wasn’t an enemy he could see.
He knew he couldn’t win this with fists or flawless strategy.
This was worse.
Someone had made her feel small.
Helpless.
Like she wasn’t safe, even with him standing right beside her.
And that?
That was unforgivable.
His grip on Arden’s wrist tightened, not enough to hurt, but enough to anchor her. Enough to keep her from retreating too far into that place in her head.
“Tell me everything,” he said, his voice low.
Not a question.
A demand.
She inhaled sharply, fire flaring behind her eyes.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure she’d answer.
Then she exhaled.
And he saw the shift.
This wouldn’t end until someone bled.
And it wouldn’tbe her.
?
The flashing red and blue lights had long faded, but the echo of them lingered, etched into the night, into the space between them.
The city stretched wide and strange around them; its usual pulse dulled to a hush. The scent of damp pavement hung in the air, metallic and faintly electric.
The car was gone now, towed away, but the tension hadn’t lifted.
Gideon stood beside Arden, hands in his pockets, posture calm in a way that only meant trouble.
