The crack of the shot split the storm.

It wasn’t just a sound, it was a tearing. A ripping of the night sky, thunder breaking its own ribs.

Alessio’s body moved before his brain did. His instincts all sharpened steel and blood memory snapped faster than thought. He shoved Noa hard, twisting with him, dragging him down into the wet concrete. The impact was brutal, jolting his bones, but his body curved over Noa’s like a shield.

The heat came next.

A burning sting ripped through his ...