THE ENFORCER'S SILENT DEBT

dreams. Ivy gripped the handle of her cello case until her knuckles turned white. It was an old, battered thing, held together by stickers and hope, but it wa

ndering the docks after dark. This city has teeth, and it's always hungry." But the bus had broken down, and her shift at the diner had run late. Every cent she earned we

gainst the brick walls, the light buzzing like a dying insect. Ivy's breath hitched as she heard a sound-not the scurrying of a rat, but the

a sc

hort, wet, and ended in a sickeni

t. Logic told her to run back toward the street, to scream for help, but her legs felt like lead, rooted to the spot by a cold, paralyzin

d out of place among the grime. The third was on his knees. Blood soaked through his white shirt, turning it

with fluid. "I have a daughter. She's only six. I can get

a way that felt dangerous-like a jagged piece of glass you knew would cut you if you touched it. His hair was dark, slicked back, and his j

n't look angry. He didn't look like he enjoyed this. He loo

h

ped forward, his forehead hitting the asphalt with a dull thud.

intake of air, but in the vacuum of th

piercing, and the color of a winter sea-locked onto hers. For a heartbeat,

said, his hand reaching for his own weapon wi

, gravelly baritone that sent a physical shi

mid air. The weight of the cello case slowed her down, the heavy fiberglass hitting against her hip with every stride. Run. Just run. She co

tsteps at all. It was as if he had simply vanished

nd her waist, lifting her off her feet as if she weighed nothing. She was hauled backw

kin, a terrifying contrast to the coldness of his words. "If you scream, I'll have to

icking her legs, clawing at the hand over her mouth,

his voice was absolute, the kind of ton

eautiful, yes, but there was a jagged scar running from his temple down to his ear, a mark of a violent life. He looked down at her, hi

t wasn't pity. It was something more ancient. Someth

e clearing. "You want us to bring the car

th a gloved hand and traced the line of her jaw. Ivy trembled so hard he

ady. "This one is mine. She's coming wi

. "Three years, Ivy. You've been hiding for three years. Did you really think a city this small

looked into his eyes, a flicker of something-a memory of fire, of screaming, of a boy's hand holding hers in

red, her voice cracking, her v

will. By the time I'm done with you, you'll forget everyone else

blurred into streaks of light, and the last thing she felt was Kaelen's arms catching her before she hit the cold, hard ground. She w