A tall figure stands across the road near the tree line, standing still, watching the motel.
My hand goes to the gun at my hip. “Hey!” I bark.
The figure barely shifts, then slips back into the woods without a sound. But not before I catch the outline of a leather cut and a limp in his step. A habit from thirty years back.
My blood runs cold. No. It can’t be. But the memory hits hard and fast.
Dog, Tama’s right hand. The man who betrayed us before my father died. The man we never found.
The message on Aria’s phone echoes through my skull.We know where you belong. Next time, neither of you walks away.
My breath fogs in the freezing air, cigarette long forgotten burns down to the filter. My heart slams once, then twice. The truth hits like a blade sliding between my ribs.
The man stalking her isn’t after Aria. He’s coming for me. And he knows exactly how to hurt me most.
I look back at the motel door. At the only line I swore I’d never cross, but it’s too late. I already crossed it. And now it’s coming for everything I love.
