Chapter 116

Nora POV

The convoy rolls to a stop half a mile from the hunting lodge, and darkness swallows us the moment we step out. The air smells of pine and damp earth, thick enough to taste. Marcus signals his team with a low hand gesture, and four men peel off toward the tree line, moving like shadows with rifles slung low.

Sel stays close to me. “You sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” I check the gun at my waist one more time, then meet her eyes. “She’s in there. I can feel it.”

Marcus returns from a quick recon of the perimeter. “Motion sensors are active on the east and north sides. Two cameras covering the front porch and the helipad. No visible guards outside. Either he’s confident or he’s waiting.”

“Both,” I say. “He thinks we don’t know about this place.”