Valeria stirred as the shrill ringing of her phone broke through the quiet stillness of the early morning. She blinked against the soft light filtering through the curtains, her mind still hazy from sleep.

“Who could be calling me in the early morning?” Reaching for her phone on the nightstand, she answered groggily. “Hello…?” A deep, cold voice came through the line, instantly jolting her awake.

“Where are you?” Markus’s tone was sharp, impatient. Valeria sat up in bed, ...