“No,” I agreed. “This was planned.”
Another deputy called out, “Laptop on the desk. It’s still on.”
“Don’t touch it,” the sheriff ordered. “Bag it as is.”
Flash drives followed. A notebook was pulled from beneath the mattress. Page after page of careful notes, timelines, and maps.
The deputies continued their sweep, each piece of evidence another nail in the coffin. When they were done, the cabin looked stripped, emptied of its poison and secrets alike.
The sheriff turned to Cooper. “Between the unlawful detention, possession of toxic substances, the firearm, and this evidence of conspiracy, we’ve got enough to hold Marion and pursue his associates. Digital forensics will tie it all together.”
Cooper nodded, satisfaction tempered by exhaustion. “Good.”
The sheriff looked at Jaime and me.
“You both did the right thing. I won’t sugarcoat it. You were lucky. But you were also smart,” he said.
I thought of charging the door. Of ignoring every plan except get to Jaime.
“Lucky,” I echoed softly.
Once the deputies filed out, the cabin fell quiet again.
Cooper turned to us, his expression softer now.
“You did good work. Both of you,” Cooper said.
Jaime snorted faintly.
“Didn’t feel very controlled,” Jaime said.
“Few things do when they matter,” Cooper said. His gaze shifted to me. “You both succeeded in your mission in the end.”
I swallowed, the praise landing heavier than I expected. “I almost didn’t.”
“But you did,” he said. “That’s what matters.”
Outside, the light was fading, the world slipping back into something like normal. Cooper opened the car door for us, already shifting into wrap-up mode.
“I’ll drive you both back to the hotel,” Cooper said. “Rest. Let us handle the rest.”
Jaime looked at me. I nodded.
As we climbed into the back seat, exhaustion finally seeped into my bones. The car pulled away, the cabin shrinking behind us until it was nothing more than a dark shape among the trees.
I reached for Jaime’s hand. He squeezed back, steady and real.
Cooper drove in silence, mercifully not filling the space with questions or commentary. The road hummed beneath the tires, a low, hypnotic sound that loosened something knotted tight inside my chest.
Adrenaline drained away in slow rivulets, leaving behind the ache.
Jaime leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, his thumb brushing absent-minded circles over my knuckles. That tiny motion grounded me more than anything else could have.
He was here. Breathing. Alive. I watched the rise and fall of his chest like it was something sacred.
By the time the hotel lights came into view, my eyelids felt heavy, my thoughts sluggish around the edges. Cooper pulled up near the entrance and cut the engine.
“I’ll check in with you tomorrow,” he said quietly.
