No text.
Every muscle in my body tightened.
Eric looked at me. “Is this the same app as before?”
“Yes.” My voice barely came out. “It was buried. I didn’t even realize it could still be activated.”
“What do you want to do?” he asked, placing the ball in my court.
I swallowed. “Open it.”
He hesitated only a second before tapping the file. A single image loaded, pixel by pixel.
My breath slipped out in a trembling rush.
The photo was taken that morning. At the orchard fence. Eric’s truck in the background. Me stepping out of the cabin. The angle was slightly tilted, almost artistic if it had not been so chilling.
Taken from a distance by someone who was already watching. A cold, sinking dread washed through me. I felt the bed tilt under me, even though it didn’t move.
Eric’s jaw clenched hard. “This was taken today.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“That means someone was here long before Tremblay showed up.”
His voice was tight, controlled, but the anger beneath it pulsed like heat. The photo shimmered for half a second and then a line of text appeared beneath it.
You’re making this difficult.
My hand flew to my mouth. Eric stared at the screen with a calmness that looked like it cost him everything.
“Harmony,” he said quietly. “Pack a bag.”
My heart thudded once and then again, faster each time. “Where are we going?”
“Back to the main house. We’re going to need reinforcements. I don’t carry a gun. But my father and Becket do.”
“You think it’s safer?” I asked.
“Yes.” One word that was so certain.
Outside, tires crunched over gravel. My pulse jumped, but then Asher’s shadow passed by the window. He was still keeping watch. Still alert. Still scanning the tree line like a human alarm system.
The smallest part of me unclenched.
Eric reached for my hand. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I truly wanted to believe him. I wanted to climb into that promise and hold on with both hands. But fear had a way of softening even the strongest words. I stood slowly and grabbed my jacket. My hands shook, but I forced them steady as I collected the few things I had brought.
Eric handed me my phone. “We’ll deal with this. All of it.”
I nodded. “I know,” I replied, even if I wasn’t sure we could.
He offered his hand again, and this time I took it. His warmth grounded me, steady and real. The picture was still burned into my mind as we stepped toward the door. Someone had been watching long before we realized it. Someone who knew exactly how close they could get.
And whoever they were, they were not done yet. Not even close.
The walk from the cabin to the truck felt longer than it should have. The cold pressed against my skin, sharp enough to sting,but not sharp enough to distract me from the feeling crawling up my spine. Eric kept me close without rushing me. Every few steps his eyes flicked toward the orchard rows, searching the shadows as if he expected someone to step out. Asher stood near the end of the gravel drive; his posture angled toward the road. He did not look at us, but the subtle tilt of his head told me he was tracking every sound.
