And for just a moment, she wondered: what if the ringing wasn’t from the phone but from fate itself?

The shrill jangle of the ringtone, oddly enough, settled the storm that had been brewing in the room like a thundercloud. It didn’t belong there, that high-pitched sound. And yet, it defused the volatile tension like a sudden gust of wind scattering an impending blaze.

Michael Helwart peeled himself away from Linsy. His body tensed, heat still pulsing beneath his ...