The maintenance tunnel smelled like cold stone and old water.
Mira sat with her back against the wall, knees pulled up, staring at nothing. The dim emergency lights overhead flickered in a slow, uneven rhythm that felt like a heartbeat trying to remember how to beat properly.
Moreno's face kept replaying in her mind.
The way he'd smiled.
The way he'd said take care of each other.
The way he'd turned back toward the stairs without looking over his shoulder.
Leo paced in a tight circle, hands running through his hair, muttering things under his breath that were definitely not compliments directed at anyone in particular.
Adrian stood a few steps away, still as a statue, staring down the length of the tunnel like he could see through concrete and darkness and regret.
"This is my fault," Leo finally snapped.
Mira looked up.
"What?"
"I brought him into this," Leo said. "He helped us because of me. Because I wouldn't stop being loud in a bar."
