The way her eyes kept moving around the room, even while pretending to relax.
Nervous.
Wade picked up his bourbon, taking a slow sip before finally standing.
The hidden panel beside the bookshelf clicked softly open.
Security monitors glowed to life.
Quietly, Wade scrubbed backward through the exterior camera feeds until he found the timestamp he wanted.
There.
A horse emerging through the trees near the restricted road.
Isabella.
He watched her dismount.
Watched her hesitate.
Then disappear toward the warehouse.
Wade’s expression never changed.
Another camera picked her up near the side entrance moments later.
Another showed her leaving.
Fast.
Too fast.
He sat there a long moment watching the footage replay in silence.
Then finally?—
Wade reached for the phone.
“We have a problem,” Wade said quietly when the line connected. “The Denver girl got into the north building. She was inside long enough to start asking questions.”Silence crackled briefly across the line.
Then Varga answered:
“Move everything.”
36
Bridlepath Farm — Grant’s House
The screen door slammed behind her, the sound echoing through the farmhouse.
The scene inside was a powder keg. Burke was pacing the linoleum, his face a mask of fury. Grant was leaning against the far wall, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Caitlin sat at the table with her laptop, looking like she’d been holding her breath for hours.
“You’re alive,” Burke said, his voice a low, terrifying vibration. “That’s a start.”
“I’m fine, Burke,” Izzy said, her voice sounding steadier than she felt. She pulled her phone out and set it on the counter. “I sent the photo. I deleted the original. I played the part.”
Grant moved then, stepping out of the shadows. His eyes were dark, searching her face for something he didn’t want to find. “Were you alone with them?”
