Chapter 266

Aurora 's Perspective The car sped along the road back to the estate. Outside, the city lights streamed by like a cold, distant galaxy. Lex drove in focused silence, throwing me the occasional worried glance. The only sounds were the engine's low growl and the hiss of the heater. The lead from Marta was like a rusty fishhook lodged deep in my mind. A sliver of hope, vanishingly small, yet impossible to ignore. Wait for Marta's people to make discreet inquiries? Wait for that junkie who might never wake up coherent? Every passing second felt like another weight added to the scales of whatever torment Brett might be enduring. The image of Uncle Jacob's bloodshot eyes and Aunt Selena's silently trembling shoulders wouldn't leave me. A frantic, burning anxiety churned in my gut, hotter than the alcohol I'd consumed. I stared at the faint glow of my phone screen, my finger hovering over the newly saved contact labeled "L.S." Liam Thornton. H