The morning sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains into the bedroom; Emily Parker reached out to touch the empty bed beside her, still warm with Carlos's body heat.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and vaguely heard the low murmur of conversation outside.
Throwing on a coat, she quietly walked to the door, where Carlos's stern voice filtered through the ajar door.
"Be careful these days."
He was on the phone, his tone unusually severe.
"Winning the preliminaries yesterday doesn't mean you can let your guard down. That Charles Smith is no easy opponent; he will definitely come after you."
Faye Manor on the other end of the line seemed to still be in high spirits, saying something cheerfully, which made Carlos frown even more.
"A bar? You still feel like celebrating? Go back at once, don't make me repeat myself."
He had just hung up when footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"I heard you won the preliminaries yesterday?"
