Chapter 14 Embers In The Dark

• Valentina’s world was a haze of pain and panic. The mercenaries’ bullets had torn into the alley, steel slicing flesh, sparks flying off gravel. She felt the shockwave the moment Hector went down: his scream, raw and guttural, cut through her thoughts. Then nothing but darkness.
• She woke to the taste of metal and dust. Her vision swam. The alley was empty. Moonlight spilled across spent shell casings. Someone moaned.
• Valentina rolled onto her side. Blood matted her hair; a throbbing ache bloomed where the last bullet grazed her temple. She tried to speak but tasted bile.