The sheriff looked down at the items recovered from Darren.
Then at Gerald.
Then at me.
His expression darkened.
"What exactly were you planning?"
Gerald didn't answer.
Because there wasn't a good answer.
Not one.
The silence said everything.
Sadie stepped forward.
My body immediately reacted.
Positioning.
Protecting.
Instinct.
Always instinct.
Her hand touched my arm.
The contact stopped me.
Grounded me.
I looked down.
She wasn't looking at me.
She was looking at Gerald.
The fear was gone.
Completely gone.
What remained was anger.
The righteous kind.
The kind that came from weeks of being hunted.
Weeks of being threatened.
Weeks of looking over her shoulder.
"You sent the pictures."
Gerald stared at the floor.
