Chapter 56. Start Over?

S:

For once, I’m thankful I let Kieran talk me into building that damn apartment above the office.

I used to hate it—called it a cage in a building full of wolves.

Now, it’s a saving grace.

The walls upstairs are quieter, thicker.

Shut away from the buzz of men shouting orders, from the low roar of engines being loaded with weapons that shouldn’t exist.

Here, it almost feels like I can breathe.

I toss my jacket onto the couch, roll my shoulders, and pull off my shirt.

It reeks of gun oil, tension, and the remnants of a day spent dancing around the government’s sharp claws.

Steam spills from the bathroom before I even step inside.

I strip down completely, step into the hot spray, and brace my palms against the wall.

For a minute—just one—I let myself stop thinking.

I scrub away the sweat, the grime, the scent of metal and politics.

The water pours down my back in rivulets.

For all the blood I've washe