“If I have to.”
Her mouth curves just a little. “Control issues?”
“Survival instincts.”
“Same thing.”
“Not even close.”
She holds my gaze for a beat longer, then turns and disappears down the hall.
I exhale slowly and drag a hand over the back of my neck. This is going to be a problem.
I move back to the window, scanning the tree line again. It’s fully dark now, the wind picking up harder, branches swaying, shadows shifting. Then I see it. Movement. Subtle, controlled, not the storm.
My body stills as I step closer to the glass, narrowing my focus. A shadow moves between the trees, then disappears. Gone, but not gone enough.
I know what I saw.
“Maddie,” I call.
Her voice comes from down the hall. “Yeah?”
“Come here.”
There’s a pause, then footsteps. She appears in the doorway, her brows pulling together at my tone.
“What?”
I gesture toward the window. “Look.”
She steps closer, stopping beside me, close enough that I can feel the heat of her through the narrow space between us.
“What am I looking for?” she asks.
“Movement.”
She leans in slightly, squinting into the dark. “I don’t see?—”
A branch snaps, loud and close.
Her breath catches, and her hand brushes my arm on instinct before she pulls it back like she didn’t mean to. Too late. I felt it.
“Someone’s out there,” I say.
Her voice drops. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah.”
The silence that follows is tight, charged.
“What do we do?” she asks.
I turn to face her, closing the distance until there’s no space left between us.
“Nothing.”
Her eyes widen. “Nothing?”
