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He paused in the doorway.

“How are you doing?” he asked quietly.

“Better,” I said. “Still scared. But… better.”

We ate in comfortable silence. When we were done, we washed dishes. Side by side.

At one point, he said, “I’m sorry for overriding you.”

I nodded. “If you had a twin brother who fought better than you, or even if he didn’t, I would’ve done the same thing.”

His lips tipped up. We stood there, close and comfortable. I was soaking in the sensation, never wanting it to end.

“Movie?” he asked. “Maybe there’s something new on cable that you’d like.”

I smiled slowly. “Or we could go to bed and see if there’s anything I’d like there.”

His answering grin told me everything.

And for tonight, that was enough.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Simon called just before dusk, that soft time of night where the light glows like honey and everybody looks like they’re smiling, even if they aren’t. I was on the couch with Chloe, her legs tucked beneath her, a sketchpad she’d found in the closet balanced on her knees.

The moment I saw Simon’s name, my chest tightened.

I didn’t even ask. I put the phone on speaker.

“Zarek,” Simon said, clipped and focused. “You and Chloe together?”

“Yes,” I answered. “She’s right here.”

“Good. Jase is with Zoe. He’s got the information we were waiting for.”

There was a faint shift of sound on the line, then Jase Drakos came on. No humor in his voice. No teasing. Just business.

“They’ve got everything they need.”

Chloe’s pencil slipped from her fingers, rolled across the sketchpad, and hit the carpet with a soft thud.

“Everything?” I asked.

“Photos of Zoe,” Jase said. “Clear. Multiple angles and locations.”

I felt Chloe stiffen beside me.

“Grocery store,” Jase continued. “Parking lot. Getting out of her car at the art supply shop. Clear face shots. License plate visible. And⁠—”

He paused.

“And inside the apartment.”

Chloe’s face froze.

I leaned forward, forearms braced on my thighs. “Say that again.”

“Inside,” Jase repeated calmly. “Living room. Desk area. You can see Chloe’s drawings. Enough that there’s no doubt it’s her place.”