pounded in his ears, his fingers tightening around the phone as if w

en

, longing. He had spent the last three years convincing himself she no longer e

ill haunting, still familiar, but n

screamed at him to let it go. To pretend she hadn't reached

n't go

grabbed his

rouble, ignoring i

ick wall of the alley, her breaths shallow, her f

ive minutes before

the shadows-neon lights flashing against the slick pavement, people laughing in rooftop bars, taxis

phones, switched safe houses, stayed off t

d to go to the one person she

ha

life, leaving nothing behind but silence. But now, when

l wanted t

hrough the alley, tires scre

stomach

were