Chapter 104

• The house didn’t sleep that night. Selena heard the muffled rhythm of boots on marble, the low murmur of radios, the slam of doors as men doubled shifts and tripled watch. Even through the walls of her suite, the tension seeped in, thick and suffocating. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, her fingers absently tugging at the chain around her throat.
• At dawn, Rosa brought her coffee but lingered, worry lines etched into her face. “They won’t tell you, but something shifted yesterday. Whoever sent that biker wasn’t just probing. They wanted to show him—show all of us—that they can reach.”
• Selena sipped, her hands trembling just enough that she set the cup down. “And he’ll respond?”