The alley smelled of damp concrete and old metal, the kind of place the city forgot once the sun went down. A single flickering streetlight buzzed overhead, casting long, broken shadows across the walls. Roman stood near the far end, his back half-pressed to the bricks, his hood pulled low and a scarf wrapped around his face. Every muscle in his body was tight.

Angelo, on the other hand, couldn’t stay still.

He paced the narrow path like a caged animal,his boots scratching softly against ...