Chapter 140

Nadei. The cold night air did little to chase away the heat still crawling beneath my skin. Even now, standing outside the warehouse, away from the flickering remnants of the fire inside, I could still smell it. The scent of burning flesh clung to the inside of my nose, thick and acrid, mingling with the ever-present metallic tang of blood. It coated my tongue, settled deep in my lungs, made the night feel heavier than it was. I pulled a cigarette from my pocket, rolling it between my fingers before lighting it with a flick of my lighter. The flame flared briefly, illuminating the dried splatters of red on my knuckles, the faint smudges that had worked their way into the lines of my skin. I should’ve cleaned up first. Should’ve wiped the last of Sokolov off of me before stepping outside. But I hadn’t. Because this wasn’t over. His death had been necessary. Expected. But it hadn’t been enough. Not for me. I took a slow drag, exhaling a curl of smoke into the night air, watching as it di