The first strike had come without warning, and the penthouse, once their sanctuary, now felt fragile, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath. Alexander moved like a shadow, every muscle coiled, senses sharpened to the smallest detail. Amelia stayed close behind him, heart pounding so hard she thought it might betray their presence.

The intruder had not yet made a sound beyond the soft creak of the tampered lock, but Alexander knew Damien too well to rely on luck. He had always ...