The city was quiet when Damian Roberts finally reached his apartment.
Quiet in the way large cities sometimes became late at night. Traffic sounded distant. Lights glowed softly in tall windows. The streets were nearly empty except for the occasional passing car.
Normally, Damian liked that quiet.
Tonight, it did nothing to calm the storm inside his mind.
He climbed the narrow staircase to his small apartment and unlocked the door quickly. The moment he stepped inside, he locked it behind him and rested his back against the wood.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Okay," he muttered.
"That was a disaster."
His voice sounded strange in the stillness of the room.
The events of the evening replayed relentlessly in his thoughts.
Victor Hale's knowing smile.
Alehandra's sharp gaze.
And Kendrick Walker standing in that hallway with a look Damian had hoped never to see again.
Recognition.
Damian pushed himself away from the door and walked toward the bathroom mirror.
