Xavier’s POV

“Every secret burns, but some fires you have to feed to see who runs from the smoke.”

The explosion cracked through the city like thunder brief, brutal, and final. I was still on a call with Luca when the security feed lit up red.

“Vehicle fire,” he said, voice sharp with static. “Downtown. Two blocks from The Sentinel offices.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. “Who was in it?”

He paused. “The journalist Celeste met.”

The silence that followed was heavier ...