That settles it. I study him for a moment, letting the silence stretch.
“What’s your name?”
“Mal Bouchard.”
The name isn’t familiar. Whoever he is, he’s no one, as he said.
“Anyone else on the property?”
“No,” he says quickly. “Just us.”
I already know that isn’t the whole truth. Even if no one else is on the property, someone sent them. Someone is waiting for confirmation. Someone will come looking when it doesn’t arrive.
I lift the rifle because leaving him alive gives him time, and time is the one thing I cannot afford now.
A dull, muted crack snaps through the trees and is gone almost as soon as it appears.
I stay where I am for a moment, scanning the tree line, letting the quiet settle back into place.
Then I turn toward the cabin.
Every step back is measured as I roll through my options at this point. The perimeter has been breached even though this place was supposed to be invisible. It’s not anymore, and therefore, it’s not safe for her to stay here until she goes back home.
On the porch, I strip off my boots and outer layers, damp with blood and pine needles, leaving the worst of it outside before stepping in and locking the door behind me.
I secure the rifle in its compartment and pause, my gaze drifting toward the closed door down the hall.
Coco’s door.
The threat outside has been neutralized. The one inside is something else entirely.
Her family knows she’s gone, and they’re already on the hunt. The idea gnaws at me. They know something they shouldn’t.
I pull out my phone and type a text to Vin.
Send someone to the cabin to clean up this mess. Two of Boudreaux’s cronies on the edge of the property. Keep it quiet and get them out of here.
The moment I hit send, the phone rings in my hand. Vin. Of course.
I swipe to answer, his voice sharp and immediate. “Who?”
“Hell if I know. Boudreaux’s men,” I say, keeping my voice flat. “Pierre Guest and another one I didn’t recognize. Bouchard, someone.”
“Laurent’s guys. So they’re definitely tracking her, then. What happened?”
I grind my teeth, irritation rising with each of his questions. “They were prowling around the property. I neutralized them before they got too close to the cabin.”
There’s a pause. “You’re sure it was just those two?”
“They looked like they were here for recon, not an ambush. The guy I questioned said as much and confirmed it was just them. Didn’t seem like they were expecting anyone to catch them, let alone gun them down.”
“Interesting,” Vin murmurs, almost like he’s talking to himself. “And they knew to look there? Strange, considering no one knows about that cabin. No one outside the circle should know?—”
“Yeah, I’m aware,” I snap, temper flaring. “That’s what I need you to figure out.”
Vin’s quiet for a second, then his tone shifts, eager. “Did they say anything useful?”
“One of them mentioned they had intel that I’d taken Laurent’s daughter, and they were here to see if there was a property out here. He was just sent to look. He didn’thave any information.” My grip tightens around the phone. “Now, find out how the hell they got that intel.”
