Chapter 63

• MIKE
• The smell of jasmine freshener drifted in and out with the help of the AC behind Eloise as I stood across her. My heart hammered against my ribs, heavy and punishing with each beat. I watched the faint tremble in her hands as she leaned against her workbench, her dark eyes fixed on Ava with such icy detachment I felt it cut through me too.
• Ava stood beside me, shoulders quivering, her fingers clutched around the strap of her leather tote bag as though it was the only thing keeping her upright. The silence stretched between the three of us, thick with dread and unspoken words. It was the kind of silence that felt tight, pressing into your chest until it forced the breath from your lungs.