**The law**

Morning brought no clarity.

Alecia stirred restlessly under the weight of unanswered thoughts, her phone lying beside her like it had the night before, with the screen dim and untouched. She reached for it again, checking for missed calls or texts—nothing. She’d called Matteo three times the previous day, messaged once, even tried reaching out to one of his people, the boys that he walked around with, but no one had seen or heard from him. That was unlike him.

He wasn't loyal ...