The house had gone completely still.

Downstairs, the music had long stopped. The few lights still glowing cast soft shadows along the walls, stretching across the wooden floor like dark hands. Outside, the lake lay black and unmoving, holding the night like a secret.

Elena lay on the bed, her breath still uneven, her hair damp against her forehead. The men hadn’t left. They moved around the room with quiet precision, their steps unhurried, their presence pressing in on her from every ...