Ethan stands there in ranger gear, snow dusting his shoulders. Maddie is beside him, beanie pulled low, cheeks pink from cold, eyes bright and sharp like she’s been awake for hours and chose violence for breakfast.
Ethan’s gaze scans past Wyatt into the cabin. “Morning.”
Wyatt opens the door wider. “You find anything?”
Ethan steps in, boots scraping snow. “Tracks are faint, but they’re there. Whoever it was knows how to move without leaving a clear trail.”
My stomach drops. “So it wasn’t the storm.”
Maddie walks in like she lives here, eyes going straight to me. “Hi, mail-order bride.”
“I’m not a—” I start.
Maddie’s mouth quirks. “Sure.”
Wyatt shuts the door behind them, locking it with a heavy click. “Talk,” he says to Ethan.
Ethan nods toward the window. “They stayed off the main paths. Cut across rock, used tree cover, kept to wind direction. That’s someone who doesn’t want to be found.”
Wyatt’s jaw tightens. “How close.”
“Close enough to test your lock,” Ethan says, calm but grim. “And close enough to watch the windows.”
My skin prickles, the hair on my arms lifting under the flannel. I force a laugh that comes out wrong. “That’s… comforting.”
Maddie turns to me, eyes narrowing. “Okay, listen. You’re not doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“That fake laugh thing you do when you’re scared,” she says, blunt. “Stop it.”
Heat flashes in my cheeks—anger and embarrassment. “I’m fine.”
Maddie’s eyes stay on mine. “No. You’re not. And we’re not doing the ‘Ellie’s fine’ show anymore. You want this to end? You start acting like it’s real.”
Wyatt’s gaze flicks to Maddie, then to me, like he’s silently approving her approach.
I hate that.
Ethan steps closer to Wyatt, voice lower. “If this is her ex, he’s not just using paperwork. He’s escalating.”
Wyatt’s eyes go dark. “I know.”
Maddie points at the couch. “Sit.”
I blink. “Excuse me?”
“Sit,” she repeats, like she’s talking to a dog she likes but doesn’t trust. “And give me your phone.”
My spine stiffens. “No.”
Maddie’s brow lifts. “Okay, then keep being alone in this. Great plan.”
Wyatt’s voice cuts in, calm. “Ellie.”
I glare at him. “Don’t.”
His eyes hold mine. “Give her the phone.”
