The comm screamed in Alessio’s ear. Static. Silence. Nothing else. Noa wasn’t answering. Noa wasn’t breathing. Noa was gone.

Alessio shoved past Luca, ignoring the roar of collapsing beams, the spit of flame still crackling through the pit. His lungs burned, his pulse ricocheting through his skull as his boots slammed against the concrete, skidding to a stop just inches from the crumbling edge.

“Noa!” His voice ripped out of him, raw, panicked, desperate.

The smoke was thick, the pit ...