Conrad exhales slowly. “That lines up with what Magnus was worried about.”
“It’s worse,” I add.
His gaze sharpens. “How?”
“He wasn’t just at the edge of town,” I say. “He was near the bookstore.”
A pause.
“That’s… specific.”
“Yeah.”
“You sure?”
“I found marks in the alley. Fresh. He stayed long enough to observe.”
Conrad’s jaw tightens. “Observe what?”
I don’t hesitate.
“Her.”
The word hangs between us. Understanding settles in quickly.
“Damn,” Conrad mutters.
“He didn’t attack,” I continue. “Didn’t push further in. Just watched.”
“That’s not better.”
“No,” I agree. “It’s not.”
Because it means planning. It means intent.
Conrad runs a hand over the back of his neck. “If they’ve noticed her…”
“They have.”
“Then we’ve got a problem.”
“We already did,” I say. “Now it’s worse.”
He studies me, then nods once. “We tighten patrols.”
“I’ll handle the area near the bookstore.”
“I figured you would.”
I ignore the implication.
“She can’t know,” I say.
“No,” Conrad agrees. “She can’t.”
I glance toward the bookstore, the pull still there, steady and unrelenting.
“I’ll keep an eye on things,” I say.
