Sterling’s words—leave it open to let you in—didn't just hang in the air; they coiled around my throat like a velvet rope, tightening with every second of the crushing silence that followed. It was a physical weight, pressing the air from my lungs, leaving a vacuum where my thoughts should have been. My mind, my fortress of strategy and sharp retorts, had been razed to the ground by a single, devastating question.
My pulse throbbed a frantic, panicked rhythm against my skin. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my feet were leaden. I had to answer. The challenge had been laid down. “You should lock it,” I finally managed, the words scraping my throat raw, barely a whisper.
A slow, predatory smile ghosted across his lips. It was a chilling expression, utterly devoid of warmth, all sh
