Chapter 154 – Daphne POV
I get a call from the police.
Which is not strange on its own—considering most of them work for us.
The moment I hear the address, I tell Julie to start the car. He doesn't ask questions. Just drives. His jaw tight, his veil of glamor left behind for something sharper.
We arrive to yellow tape and flashing blue lights. Uniformed officers hover awkwardly around the scene, most of them pretending they don't recognize me. Julie walks ahead, a grim silhouette in black, and flashes his ID.
I duck under the tape, the heavy thrum of instinct already vibrating in my chest. Something's wrong.
We're led up the porch steps. It's quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that hangs heavy in the air, thick with leftover violence.
Then I see it.
A dark pool of blood, thick and wet, seeping out from under the front door.
I hesitate for half a second, then push the door open slowly.
The scent hits me first—iron, rot, something wet and final.
The hallway is carnage.
