Chapter 63 Scorched Earth

• Stefano and Marco
• The angry sun bore down from the sky, punishing the desert with a heat that shimmered off the cracked earth. Sand stretched endlessly in every direction, broken only by two matte black SUVs parked on a makeshift dirt road, tires half-buried in the gritty terrain.
• The windows were tinted, the engines silent, radiating residual heat from the long drive. There was no movement, no sound beyond the low whisper of wind and the faint ticking of cooling metal.