Chapter 27 Into The Fire

• The rain came down in sheets, slanting sideways under the weight of the wind. The docks smelled of salt, rust, and something darker,old blood soaked into wood. Shadows sprawled long across the pier, broken only by the harsh glow of floodlights humming above.
• Antoine stepped out of the black car, trench coat snapping against his frame. Jonas and Mateo flanked him like extensions of his will, their eyes scanning every shadow. Élise followed, her chest tight, her breath frosting in the cold night air. She hadn’t wanted to be left behind and now that she was here, her heart screamed that she had stepped into a place where even light felt unwelcome.
• “Stay close,” Antoine murmured, his voice low enough only for her. He didn’t look at her, didn’t touch her, but she felt the weight of his words press into her chest.