A sound outside makes us both freeze. Footsteps on gravel.
Dave goes white. “Oh God. They’re here.”
“Who’s here?”
“I didn’t mean to drag you into this. I messed up. Sent the email to the wrong person. You weren’t supposed to see it.”
But he’s not looking at me anymore.
He’s staring at the boarded windows like he can see through them. Like maybe someone’s already watching. “They said if I could convince you to stay quiet, if I could make sure you understood how dangerous this is, they might let us both walk away.”
Cold spreads through my chest.
“You set me up.”
His head jerks. “No! Mary, no. I didn’t—” His voice breaks. “I didn’t have a choice.”
He finally looks at me—and now I see it. The panic. The guilt.
“They know where my wife lives. My kids. I thought if I could just talk to you, make you understand, maybe they’d back off.”
He swipes at his face, but the tears are already there, dragging streaks through the sweat and fear.
“I thought they’d just scare you. Not—”
The footsteps stop. Right outside the door.
“Dave.” My voice sounds strange, distant. “What did you do?”
Before he can answer, something slams against the door. Hard. The whole frame shudders.
Dave scrambles backward, bumping into a washing machine. “I thought I had more time. I thought—”
BANG.
The door explodes inward, wood splintering. A man steps through, tall and imposing, wearing all black. He’s got a gun.
Dave drops to his knees. “Please. Please, I brought her. Just like you said.”
The man doesn’t even look at him. His eyes—cold, dead eyes—lock onto mine.
“Mary Catherine Sullivan,” he says in accented English. “You’ve been very busy.”
My legs feel like water.
Oh God. This is how I die.
Dave is sobbing now. “I’m sorry, Mary. I’m so sorry.”
The man with the gun finally looks down at him. “David Thornton. You were supposed to handle this quietly.”
“I tried! But… but… please…” He’s shaking. “Look, I did what you asked. I brought her here. Can we just—?”
The gun swings toward Dave.
“Wait!” I hear myself scream. “Wait, please!”
Both men look at me. Dave’s face is a mess of tears and snot.
