I didn't hear it at first. Maybe because I was too tired, too drained, my body finally giving in to sleep after nights of running, hiding, fearing. But the sound came anyway, sharp, violent, unforgiving.
Glass. Shattering.
My eyes flew open before my brain even caught up. For a moment, I thought I was back in Sebastian's penthouse, where windows stretched from ceiling to floor, where everything was polished and perfect and suffocating. But the air here smelled of dust and smoke, not perfume. The curtains were drawn, blocking out the city, but I felt it, danger pressing against the glass.
Then I heard it.
Gunfire.
Not far. Not a movie sound. Real. Loud. Piercing.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The door to the bedroom crashed open. "Aria!"
