It's a gamble. A massive one. The Marshal has resources I can't match, connections I can't counter, power I can't overcome through conventional channels. But Finn's right that running hasn't gotten me closer to justice. It's just kept me breathing while the people who destroyed my career continue operating with impunity.
"I need to think about this," I say finally. "We need to know what the task force has, whether they can move without me."
"I'll reach out to Zeke," Finn says. "He's got connections to the task force. Can ask what they know without compromising you." He starts the truck again and pulls back onto the road."But Cara? Whatever you decide, I'm in. You're not alone in this anymore."
The words make my throat tight. For years, every decision has been mine alone to make and mine alone to face the consequences of. The idea that someone else is willing to stand with me, risk themselves for a fight that isn't theirs, feels both terrifying and necessary.
We drive the rest of the way to Glacier Hollow in silence. My phone keeps buzzing with notifications, but I ignore them all. Whatever Jake is sending can wait until I'm somewhere secure enough to think through the implications without panic driving every decision.
Landscape rolls past outside the windows. Snow-covered roads give way to plowed highways, wilderness to scattered homesteads, isolation to the outskirts of civilization. Each mile brings us closer to the moment where I have to choose between survival and justice.
Finn's cabin appears through the trees, isolated and safe. He pulls up to the porch and kills the engine, then sits for a moment without moving. Wind rocks the truck slightly, howling around the corners of the building. Inside those walls, I could hide for days. Maybe longer if we're careful.
"Your call," he says. "Run or fight. I'll support either decision. But you should know that fighting means you stay here, in my territory, with my connections helping protect you. Running means you're alone again."
I look at him, this man who's become so much more than a tactical asset in the span of days. Jaw set with determination, eyes serious but not judgmental. He's laying out options without pressure, trusting me to make the right choice for myself.
My career might be over. My cover is burning. Somewhere out there, the person who framed me knows I'm getting close. Every survival instinct I have screams run. Disappear. Start overin a new city with a new identity, new operational security that might buy me another few years of staying invisible.
But visibility has never been the goal. Justice has. And running now means abandoning everything Tom died trying to protect.
I look at Finn, at the determination in his eyes, at the man who's choosing to stand with me when he could walk away clean.
"I'm staying," I say. "Whatever time we have left. We finish this."
8
FINN
Cara's decision to stay settles between us, heavy and final. The way determination overrides fear in her expression makes my throat tight. Three days ago she was just another person needing transport through the backcountry. Now she's the woman I'm choosing to stand with against the feds and corrupt officials with enough power to destroy lives.
I kill the engine and we sit in silence. Wind buffets the truck, snow swirling past the windows in patterns that catch the afternoon light.
"Jake's timeline gives us days at most before the feds narrow down your location," I say. "We need a plan that doesn't involve you running blind or me pretending I don't know what's coming."
"I know." She stares at her phone, at Jake's warnings still displayed on the screen. "Every instinct I have says disappear. New identity, new city, start the whole process over. But you're right that running hasn't gotten me closer to justice."
"So we bring in help. People who've been fighting this same battle from different angles." I turn to face her fully. "Zeke and Sadie need to know what's happening. They've got connectionsto the task force, resources we can use, and they've dealt with the Marshal's network before."
She's quiet, working through scenarios in her head. The resistance is visible in how still she holds herself, years of operating alone making it hard to trust that bringing others in won't get them killed.
"If I surface, if I stop running and actually coordinate with people, the Marshal's going to know," she says. "Right now I'm just a fugitive he's tracking through financial flags and DOJ channels. But if I make myself visible in Glacier Hollow, if I start working with the task force openly, that changes the equation."
"Yeah, it does. Changes it in your favor." I reach across the console, fingers threading through hers. "You've been invisible and it's kept you alive but not free. Maybe it's time to stop hiding and start forcing their hand."
"That's a hell of a gamble."
"Everything about this situation is a gamble. Question is whether you're betting on yourself or on the Marshal's people being too powerful to beat."
She turns my words over, testing them against years of survival instincts. Outside, snow continues to fall, blanketing the landscape in white that looks peaceful until you remember how quickly weather can turn lethal in Alaska.
"Okay," she says. "We bring in Zeke. But I want to control how much information spreads and how fast. The more people who know I'm here, the harder it is to maintain operational security."
"Agreed. We start with Zeke and Sadie, see what they recommend, then expand the circle only as needed." I release her hand and reach for the door. "Let me call him, see if we can meet somewhere private."
Inside the cabin, I build a fire while Cara secures the evidence cases. She stacks them away from windows, usesfurniture to create visual barriers. When she's satisfied with the defensive positioning, she joins me by the fire.
"Have you always lived here?" she asks, extending her palms toward the flames.
