The first sound did not register as danger. It sounded like something heavy dropped in the distance, sharp and wrong, snapping through the corridor outside the jewelry store. It bounced off tile and glass in a way that made it hard to place. For a few seconds, nothing stopped. People kept walking. Someone laughed, quick and uncertain, as if the noise had broken a rule of public behavior.
Willow felt the change before she understood it. Her shoulders tightened. Her breath caught. It was not fear yet. Just the body's quiet warning that something had shifted.
Behind the counter, the jeweler paused with his fingers hovering above the register. He tilted his head, listening, as if the sound might correct itself. The ticking clock behind him suddenly felt too loud.
Another sound followed.
This one was closer. Sharper. It did not echo. It cracked through the air with a finality that made Willow's chest tighten.
