Chapter 172

NOAH “Luna, I’ll go in with Noah. You stay here,” Aiden said firmly. The three of us had just finished putting on our bulletproof vests as we prepared to enter the building where Amelie had last been seen. “But I want to help look for her,” Luna insisted. “I can’t just stand here and do nothing.” Aiden looked at her intently. “It’s dangerous in there. We don’t know when the rebels might attack again.” Then he patted his chest and gave her a playful wink. “Besides, this is a man’s job.” I shook my head slightly at his words before stepping carefully toward the ruined building. The broken doorway loomed ahead of us like the mouth of something waiting to swallow anyone who entered. Aiden followed close behind me. The ground beneath our feet was littered with debris. Dark bloodstains marked the cracked pavement, and the faint smell of gunpowder still hung in the air. The walls around us were scarred with bullet holes and blackened marks from artillery strikes. Every step had to be taken ca