Vera

Smoke still clung to her clothes. Even the sea wind couldn’t scrub away the sting of it.

Nicolas held her hand so tightly her fingers ached, but she didn’t pull away. They were running through shadows, across the deck of the abandoned dockyard until the only sound was their breath and the echo of the last shot that had broken the night.

When they stopped, Vera turned, searching the dark water. The shipyard was a ruin of sparks and smoke. Somewhere behind them Antonio had fallen. ...