Gunfire roared around us like a storm, a relentless tide that refused to die. The shattered windows had become jagged teeth framing the chaos beyond, and glass crunched beneath Alejandro’s boots as he dragged me upright. His arm wrapped around me, steady and unyielding, while the smoke curled thick in the air, choking me with every breath.

“Stay close,” he ordered, his voice like steel.

I could hardly hear him over the alarms screaming through the penthouse. My pulse thudded in my ears, ...