Enzo gives a tight nod. “I’d feel the same way if it were Ava.” His thoughts are faraway, as if in some memory. “Caution isn’t optional.”
“Exactly.” Anton shrugs on his jacket.
Ava gives a thumbs up. “We’re locked down tight.”
Anton turns to me. “You ready?”
My heart is beating rapidly, and I hope it isn’t bad for thebaby, but the only way this case is coming to an end is through me. I’m the lead officer.
“Let’s go,” I say.
We step out into the hallway together, and Anton keeps his voice quiet as if even a bluebird might be a dangerous spy. “Ingram lied for a reason. He expects you to be chasing Andy—not looking anywhere near him. Let him underestimate you. That buys us time.”
One of the reasons I fell for him in the first place is how damn competent and calm he is when everything else feels like shifting ground.
I nod, swallowing past the sudden lump in my throat. “Okay.”
We close the office door behind us, where Ava and Enzo are already focusing on the next steps.
This is safety.
This is backup.
This is partnership.
Courage finds its footing as I grip the railing and head down the steps.
When the cold air hits my lungs again as we leave the building, one thought echoes through me:
Whether Ingram misjudged me or not, one thing is clear.
He’s betting on time.
And time is the one thing I can’t afford to lose.
29
The Marshalls liveon a quiet street at the edge of town—with cracked sidewalks and wind chimes that stir even when the air is still. Their white ranch-style house sits behind a trimmed hedge, so tidy it’s as if it’s the last thing they can control.
Anton parks along the curb and turns off the engine.
“You ready for this?” he asks.
I smooth my palm over my jacket, over the bump that’s now impossible not to lead with. It’s a strange feeling, the whole world knowing your entire identity is about to shift.
“Born ready,” I say, though this will be the first time I question anyone about someonewho’s died.
And a young woman at that. I wasn’t too bad questioning Andy yesterday, but there is a part of me that wishes I didn’t have to be here. I wish this never happened to Zoe. I wish two parents didn’t lose their child.
I can’t think like this. It’s fraying my nerves.
When I step out of the truck, a pressure gathers low in my abdomen—enough to make me pause without meaning to. I manage to walk through it, but Anton gains a few steps on me.
He spins around and contemplates me. “You okay?”
I nod. “I’m fine. Just…a cramp.”
I think it’s a cramp, though it doesn’t feel familiar, and the last thing I can do now is reschedule and worry the Marshalls after they’ve likely gotten stressed out over a police visit.
