“While we wait, build a list,” Dev cut in. “Who was there for the cake?”
Gaby grabbed a clipboard. “Everyone on the patio.”
“Start naming them,” Alec said.
Names came rapid-fire, voices overlapping as Callan muttered at the system. Leland listened—not for names but for gaps.
“Who’s still here?” Dev pressed.
Alec hit a button on the console. “Rafe.”
The comm crackled. “Yeah.”
“Run the property. Everyone you see, call it out.”
Rafe started rattling off names as Gaby marked the list. When they were done, Leland looked over her shoulder. Eight names remained unchecked.
“May I see that?” Cari asked, outstretched hand still shaking.
Gaby passed her the clipboard.
Her eyes ran down the page before backtracking. “It’s Evan Strickland.”
Dev’s head snapped toward her. “You can’t know that—”
Leland cut in. “Why are you so sure?”
Cari looked up, water still dripping from her hair. “He has access to the system. More than access. He designed it.”
Dev frowned. “He’s a charter member.”
“Which means he’s had more time than anyone to understand every weakness in it,” Cari countered. “He could have timed this. Made sure we were blind exactly when he needed it.” She looked at Callan. “Couldn’t he?”
Callan hesitated. That alone said something.
“Technically, yes,” he admitted. “But I’ve worked with Evan. Closely. He doesn’t—”
“Fit your idea of a killer,” Gaby finished quietly.
The room fell quiet because he didn’t. He was one of them, known and trusted.
Rhys spoke first. “Cari might be right. He fits the profile of the stalker.”
All eyes shifted to him.
“He’s not reacting to opportunity anymore. He’s engineering it, forcing openings when none exist.”
Dev folded his arms. “His M.O. has changed. He used to watch. Stalk. Take what he wanted when the moment opened.” He shook his head once. “Now, he’s taking risks. Testing boundaries. Trying to provoke a response. Why?”
“He’s escalating with purpose now,” Rhys replied. “Julia wasn’t a stranger he could toy with. She was here. Right in front of him. Someone he couldn’t touch without exposing himself. When she left the protection of the club, that put her within reach.”
Leland’s jaw tightened. “And when she came under my protection, his access disappeared.” His voice dropped, turning rough. “Now, he’ll take risks he never would’ve taken before.”
“When Rhys and I were going through our… thing,” Gaby said. “Evan Strickland was always there. Just appearing. Helpful. Charming.” Her mouth tightened. “But looking back, the things he said weren’t quite right. Like he was testing reactions.”
Emily shifted. “He always gave me the creeps.”
Alec glanced at her. “How?”
