Josie
I stared at the door like it might open and swallow me whole. The hallway was quiet now, but my mind wasn't. Every heartbeat felt like thunder in my ears. I was still trying to make sense of what just happened—the blood, the bullet, the panic. I closed my eyes for a second, but the image of the waiter collapsing replayed behind my lids.
"It's all my fault," I whispered.
A hand squeezed mine gently, and I looked up. Kiel was kneeling in front of me, his expression painfully soft, like he didn't know whether to hold me or let me fall apart.
"If anyone's to blame," he said, "it's me."
I turned toward him fully, but Varen had already taken my other hand. They were flanking me like shields, but even that couldn't stop the guilt gnawing inside my chest.
Kiel's voice was steady, but there was pain in it. "I should've been more careful with Michelle. I let her get too close. I gave her access when I shouldn't have, and now it's cost us."
