RGE'S

ding, pressed in like a dark omen, casting a shadow that seemed to stretch across everything. No rain came, but the air was damp-sa

sive silence. The basket of produce in her arms felt heavier than it should, as though each fruit and vegetable inside carried

racing himself for something inevitable. His face, as hard and set as stone, was an unspoken barrier, a wall he had put up to shield her from wh

oat. It wasn't the first time she had seen him this way. Sometimes

atter of carts-was replaced by an eerie quiet. People moved about their business, but their eyes flicked nervously toward the ground, av

an stacking crates paused, his eyes darting to them before returning to the ground. Every silent exchange betwe

old prickle of unease crawling up her spi

at echoed unnervingly in the stillness of the morning. It felt like the sound of so

ed, but his tone controlled, the kind of control t

guarded, as though he had learned the art of masking everything behind a practiced mask.

remarked casually, but she could feel the weight behind hi

toward the empty street behind them as though expecting something-or someone.

ere they gripped the edge of the counter, and for a fleeting moment, Irena saw the barest flick

A man was found by the docks. Drained dry." His gaze dropped to the co

nd them seem

keep her face neutral, though her insides twisted in horror.

tightened.

n words. He didn't need to say mo

ago L

l through Irena's bones. It howled like a distant warning, an omen she couldn't ignore. She ba

thoughts that clouded his mind. Without a word, he placed the payment for their supplies on the counter, his fingers t

n she couldn't quite place. But it wasn't just a command-it w

hants on them-each one glancing their way, their whispers following them like shadows. The market felt smaller now, the air

roduce, moving with mechanical precision, but her thoughts were elsewhere. The unease gnawed at her

came th

días,

ped, wary, her eyes scanning the market before settling on Jorge's. She placed a

" the woman said coldly, her voice flat, ac

belief. "That's impossible.

, her expression simmering with barely co

. Irena could feel every set of eyes on them-every person in the market had turned their attention toward this exchange, lik

ge said through gritted teeth,

. "Then maybe you should start checking better." She turned and walk

chest. She turned to her father, her voice th

nd together. "People need someone to blame," he m

They felt final. There was no more prete

en, th

w ru

eng

sleek black vehicle seemed completely out of place among the humble stalls and dusty streets.

en behind dark sunglasses. Every movement they made was calculated, d

ago L

he air grew colder, heavier, as though the very world had stilled in his presence. He moved through the market with the kind of ease that

e was enough to draw the tension taut, lik

strained, each word carefully measured, l

behind a facade of civility. "I have my ways," he said smoothly, his voice like vel

fixed on hers, and in that moment, everything around her vanished-the market, the crowd, the weig

smile, but it was enough to

like silk-soft, yet heavy with something dang

eyes flickering between fear and something

d toward the SUV, leaving only the crushing silence behind him. The

arely b

pá?" she whispered, the

answer. He di

had alread

-

O'S C

d inside locked in a silent struggle for dominance. The

rumming on the polished wood of the table,

smile, though the irritation in his voice

engine purre

he meeting h

unless the world had already stopped. Wh

He didn't need to say a word

knowledge him. Lucero walked in, his black suit a perfect contrast to the harsh light of the

him, every breath held. Lucero adjusted his cuff, his gaze sweeping over the

gaze, his lips curling in

voice smooth as velvet, but with the quiet autho

too quickly. No one