Iron Armor

Cassia

Morning came not with the soft light of dawn, but with the heavy, oppressive gray of an approaching coastal storm.

The wind howled through the palm fronds outside, rattling the thick, bulletproof glass of the suite's balcony doors. The ocean below was a churning mass of dark slate gray and white foam, throwing salty mist high up into the air against the villa's stone foundation.

When I open