Rowan is curled against my side, bare feet tucked under her, hair down tonight. Long brown waves spilling over her shoulder. She’s wearing one of my shirts again. It hangs off her like a claim I haven’t earned.
She’s reading a book, pretending she’s calm. Her mouth keeps twitching like a joke is brewing behind her lips.
I’m pretending I’m calm too. My hand rests on her thigh, casual. Protective. Possessive, if I’m honest.
Rowan glances up at me. “You’re brooding.”
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s still brooding.”
I almost smile. Almost. Then my phone rings. The sound snaps through the room like a warning shot. Rowan stiffens instantly, her body going alert even before her brain catches up. That’s the training. She learns fast. I check the screen.
Cal.
I answer on the first ring. “What’s up?”
Cal’s voice is clipped, urgent. “Sin. We’ve got movement. Real movement.”
My spine tightens. “Talk.”
“We traced the management profile on Rowan’s phone,” he says. “Not just where it came from. Who initiated the chain.”
Rowan’s eyes lock on my face. She can’t hear him, but she can read the shift in me like she’s been studying my tells.
Cal continues. “The profile was pushed through an internal system tied to her paper. It wasn’t random spyware. It was targeted. Someone with access to their network and credentials sent a link disguised as a security update. It got her to authorize the profile without realizing what it was.”
My jaw clenches. “You’re saying it came from inside her workplace.”
“Yes.” Cal pauses. “And we have the name.”
My pulse hits hard once. “Who?”
“It’s her editor in chief,” Cal says. “Her boss. Randy O’Connell.”
Rowan’s hand grips my forearm. “What?” she mouths silently, eyes wide.
I stand slowly, moving away from her so I can think. “You’re sure.”
“We didn’t stop at the phone,” Cal says. “We followed the money trail from the profile vendor. The billing account routes through a shell company, but we peeled it back. Payments are coming from a corporate security contractor tied to the company Rowan was investigating.”
My stomach goes cold. “They’re funding the attacks.”
“They’re funding the pressure,” Cal corrects. “Here’s what we have so far. Rowan’s boss is being blackmailed. Not a theory. We have recorded calls and a series of transfers. They’re squeezing him through leverage. A past mistake, something that would end his career and possibly put him in prison. The corporationpromised to make it disappear if he stopped her story and got control of her materials.”
I stare at the far wall, mind already assembling the pieces. “So he put her under surveillance.”
“Yes,” Cal says. “He used the phone to track her, see what she had, who she talked to, and when. And when that didn’t work fast enough, they escalated to intimidation. The vehicle hits. The attempted entry. All meant to scare her off and force her to hand over her files.”
Rowan stands now, close enough to touch, but she doesn’t. Her face is pale, her eyes huge and furious.
Cal’s tone stays firm. “Tell Rowan. But listen to me. You and Rowan stay put. Do not go hunting. We have a team moving to confirm his location and secure evidence. Law enforcement involvement will be controlled. We don’t want leaks.”
I nod, even though he can’t see it. “Copy.”
“And Sin,” Cal adds, voice harder. “This guy is desperate. Blackmail makes people unpredictable. If he realizes the net is closing, he might do something stupid.”
My gaze cuts to Rowan. “Understood.”
