At the multimillionaire’s wife’s funeral, a homeless girl pointed at the casket and screamed, “She’s not dead! I saw him lock her in!” The husband sneered, “Get this lunatic out of here.” But when the lock broke and the lid slid open, what lay inside made the entire crowd freeze in terror…

Sirens wailed in the distance, a haunting symphony of Saint Aurelia’s corrupt underbelly, but down here at the base of the tower, it was just the heavy, rhythmic drumming of rain against concrete.

My tactical team fanned out, their flashlights cutting through the gloom. Tala, who had stubbornly refused to stay behind at the safehouse, tugged at my coat.continue reading …