The rain had stopped for two full days. The streets of Chicago looked cleaner, but the air still felt heavy. Elena noticed the change in the weather the same way she noticed everything else now — with half her mind on the secret places and the man who showed them to her.

They had met four times in the last week. Each time the talks lasted longer. Each time the silence between them felt less like empty space and more like something shared. Dante never stayed in one place for many hours. He always checked the streets before they left. Elena had begun to watch the streets too, the way he did.