—Ace—
The sun was barely up, but I was already dressed.
I stood at the window with a black mug in my hand, the coffee cold and untouched. I hadn't slept. Didn't even bother trying. I'd spent the whole night sitting in the corner of the room, just watching her chest rise and fall.
Hazel.
She was still asleep now, curled into my pillow like she'd been trying to sink into the mattress and disappear. Her face was calm, but I could still see it—faint tension in her jaw, the way her fingers twitched like her body hadn't let the fear go yet.
Neither had mine.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it. The way her scream had sliced through the dark. The sound of her body hitting the ground. My blood had gone cold before it boiled.
And now? I was done being quiet.
I pulled out my phone and stepped onto the balcony.
One breath. Two. Then I called Kai.
He picked up on the second ring. "Boss?"
"Tell every guard on payroll they're officially on f*cking notice."
