He lowered his guitar slowly.
“Reid?”
No answer.
The feeling crept up his spine first. That same wrongness from the concerts and his hotel when the snick of the door closing had woken him up. That same uneasy feeling that someone was watching him. Cody sat up straighter then turned toward the tree line and scanned the trees. At first, he saw nothing.
Then—
Movement.
It was just a subtle shift. A shadow where there hadn’t been one before. It was too far away for Cody to make out details, but he knew he was being watched. Then Cody saw a man standing between the trees.
His breath caught. “Reid!”
The name came out sharp, instinctive.
The figure didn’t move closer.
Didn’t run.
Just stood there.
Watching.
Then—
Gone.
Not fast or panicked. Just… gone. Like he’d stepped backward into the trees and dissolved into them.
Reid was there a second later.
“What’s—”
“Someone was there,” Cody said, pointing. “In the trees. He was watching me.”
Reid didn’t question it. He didn’t hesitate. He was already moving. By the time Cody put his guitar down and started running after him, Reid was halfway across the pasture, body shifting into something more predatory with every step. Whenhe reached the tree line, he slowed. Then stopped. He crouched down and pressed into the earth.
His head tilted slightly, like he was listening to something Cody couldn’t hear or smelling something Cody couldn’t.
“Reid?” Cody said, quieter now.
Reid didn’t answer immediately. When he did, his voice was different. Lower.
Controlled too tightly.
“He was here.”
He turned, eyes sweeping toward the road beyond the property. He lifted his chin and scented the air.
“I’ve got a trail,” he said. “It’s faint, but it’s there.”
When he started moving, Cody followed him, his pulse pounding. Reid took long strides and moved so fast that Cody had trouble keeping up with him. He didn’t speak, just followed silently and let Reid do what he was so obviously good at. He followed him out to the edge of the property line until they hit the road and Reid finally stopped.
Cody knew what he was about to say before Reid had even opened his mouth.
“He had a vehicle waiting,” Reid said. “The scent cuts clean here. He got in it and left.”
