I drove with utmost caution, my every move calculated. The last thing I needed was to draw the attention of the police. I wasn’t particularly worried about a ticket for driving without a license; that would only delay my journey to the Kessler estate. But time was slipping away for Hadrian, and the clock was ticking mercilessly. Thankfully, the road ahead was empty.

I turned onto a private road that snaked up a hill, my eyes flicking toward Hadrian, who seemed to waver between moments of ...