CRAVED: Her Blood, Their War.

hina'

someone had pressed pause on the wor

ed in mock concern. "If you're done throwing your littl

creen, trying to convince myself this was some sick joke. But the c

g. I swallowed hard, shoved the phone into my pocket, an

I skipped steps. My thoughts raced, overlapping, tang

he door before I yanked it open and told

one?" h

u when I see

streaked metal, broken tiles, and graffiti. It looked like the lower end of the old shipping yards. The kind of place tha

fencing. Then we passed a chain-link ga

ing daggers. The same as the

p he

of piss, smoke, and oil. I followed the cracked path toward t

shed it open. Inside, it w

footsteps. I

it, black gloves on, badge peeking

tive

s brow creased the

supposed t

voice like sandpaper.

him, I

hoto. And blood. Dried no

had bee

s my si

warehouse, low and sharp li

his eyes. Hesitation. Guilt. Something buri

nd of my heels struck like a countdown. "You're standing on h

sed to be here ei

im into the rusted metal beam beside him. The sound

gging through his pressed shirt. "You had this photo

t back. That a

every lead dies before I can even breathe on it. Everyone I question disappears. Record

ld me the second

have done? Brought your little empire into thi

d him hard. "If there's one thing I'm good at, Kael, it'

shed off the dust like he hadn't

led a flash drive fr

see the same patterns I did. Sienna's phone last pinged from this ware

"You didn't ment

ers. And I didn't want to hand you

nd stared down at it lik

t el

e. I ran it through everything I had, and guess what? Dead end." He looked tired now. "But the second I got c

to my jacket and turned tow

" I said, not as

dn't

ixteen years. I used to know when she was having nightmares, Kael.

at followed sa

his time. "If you're going to use that," he nodded

, Kael. Reckless is the only

d turned tow

he muttered, disappe

hollow room, staring at the

d been

didn't want

ver they

the worst mistake

, half-erased records, and blurred CCTV footage. Every clue that looked promising fizzled into static by the next frame. Names were bl

t popping up. Th

re entry required more than just money. It required an invitation

n of images that didn't feel like normal surveillance footage. It had blurry shapes that bent l

't make

her chair, my temple pul

es beneath buildings I owned. But this... this felt like somet

d up my phone

answered, his voice grog

t of the leads are fried, but there's something. One

t dr

e. At the warehouse. It was

give you

ere. You handed it to me. You literally s

ilence f

and calmly,

you're

A new notification slid a

ile from: D

Golden

ent: [1

red a

he didn't sen

sending

slowly back to my e

you just se

line w

hone and just s

e hell

? Protecting me? Or ha

his face when he handed it over, like he already knew he was crossing a l

k

hell preten

t this didn't

rgetting or wor

d. Nah, there

reen, my pulse thu

I paused looking around me.