Chapter 1 - The Empty Tower
Nico stared at the pristine marble counter of the bathroom.
His reflection in the mirror showed a man who commanded an entire city, yet he suddenly felt completely powerless.
The absence of her everyday items was louder than a gunshot in a quiet room.
He desperately told himself she was just throwing a childish tantrum.
He wanted to believe she would be back by morning, crying and begging for his protection.
But the cold, hollow feeling expanding in his chest refused to disappear.
He stormed back into his smoke-filled study and grabbed his encrypted laptop.
He bypassed his security team entirely and accessed his personal tracking network.
He had never told Norah about the military-grade micro-transmitter sewn into the lining of her favorite winter coat.
It was a paranoid habit he had developed years ago to keep his most valuable assets safe.
He typed in the complex activation sequence and watched the digital map illuminate on his screen.
A single red dot blinked in the center of the abandoned industrial district.
It was a dangerous area controlled by scavengers and addicts, miles away from the luxury of the penthouse.
Nico felt a sudden, violent spike of adrenaline that completely erased his exhaustion.
He did not wait to assemble his team of bodyguards.
He grabbed his customized weapon and sprinted toward the private elevator.
He drove his black sports car through the empty city streets at a terrifying, reckless speed.
The rain began to fall in heavy, freezing sheets against the windshield.
He arrived at the exact GPS coordinates and stepped out into a pitch-black alleyway.
The sharp smell of rotting garbage and saltwater hung heavily in the damp air.
He drew his gun and moved silently toward a pile of discarded cardboard boxes.
He saw the familiar fabric of Norah's expensive winter coat lying motionless on the wet pavement.
He rushed forward and desperately pulled the heavy fabric back to check on her.
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Norah was not wearing the coat.
The jacket was wrapped around the shoulders of a dead homeless man with a single bullet hole perfectly centered in his forehead.
