LUCY
"This time."
The phrase echoes in the hollow of my chest. It meant he knew. He knew about Cole and the failed ambush in the alleyway. It confirmed that this wasn't just random; I was a target in a coordinated campaign.
The phantom had known and had supported the Khy'lins. Maybe had told me to stay indoors for easy capturing. This new fellow too was likely a Khy'lin, or something even worse that commanded them.
I can still hear the remnants of his oily, mocking laugh even after he's been gone for more than fifteen minutes.
No one is coming to your aid this time.
The sheer, brutal reality of my situation finally crashes through my defenses with such startling clarity that I break.
I cry. An ugly, wretched cry, with fat tears streaming down my face. In between sobs, I cycle through a carousel of rage.
