SOFIA

The first sign that something was wrong wasn't the men approaching me. It was the phone in my pocket vibrating once. Just one vibration, and then silence.

I froze. Because that device shouldn't have been active outside of authorized areas, and I realized instantly: the estate knew. Or worse, Dante knew.

The figures kept moving, three now, maybe four. The dense darkness made it hard to make them out clearly. My pulse pounded against my ribs as I backed away toward the edge of the pier.

One