Chapter 206

The night had grown colder, shadows stretching long across the street, pooling in corners and beneath parked cars, and the thought of danger creeping closer to her made my blood run hot with protective fury. I had seen betrayal wear familiar faces before, had learned the hard way that loyalty could rot quietly beneath polite smiles, and I knew better than to dismiss unease as paranoia. I could almost feel the quiet footsteps, the calculated approach, the timing of a plan that might be unfolding without her knowledge.

“I feel one of our guards is after her. It’s just a gut feeling,” Majeed said slowly, choosing his words with care, his eyes narrowing as if trying to piece together an invisible puzzle in his mind, reading signals I could not yet see. He rubbed the back of his neck, a subtle gesture that betrayed the weight of his concern, something he did only when a thought refused to leave him alone.

His gaze flickered briefly toward the darkened windows of nearby houses