Valeria

The black car came to a halt in front of the mansion, with its headlights cutting through the deepening dusk. I didn’t wait for the driver. I opened the door myself and stepped out into the cool night air that brushed against my bare arms and raised goosebumps along my skin. My pulse hadn’t slowed since I left that cold warehouse, and since the old man’s words had carved themselves into my mind like a brand. I walked up the wide stone steps, with my heels striking each one with ...