Chapter 20

• The secondary safehouse was a small basement under an old bakery that had been closed for years. The smell of stale bread and dust hung in the air. When Leo and Kai finally pushed through the back door, Elena was already waiting with a fresh bandage roll in her hand. Luca stood by the single table loading guns. Kai’s mother sat on a cot in the corner looking exhausted but alive.
• Elena did not waste time. She grabbed Leo’s arm the second he stepped inside. “You are bleeding again. Sit.”
• Leo sat on the edge of the table while she worked on the graze on his arm. Kai stayed right beside him, one hand resting on Leo’s knee. The touch was small but it kept Leo grounded.