“Follow me,” Mr. Montoya said quietly. A pause passed. “Stay close.” I obeyed instantly.
The East garden pathway stretched endlessly before us as we walked through the darkness in silence. My heart refused to settle. Every step felt wrong—reckless and exposed.
Mr. Montoya walked ahead of me with calm, measured steps, as if none of this surprised him. It was as if finding me sneaking through the estate in the middle of the night had only inconvenienced him. It left me wondering about the level of danger I'd agreed to when I risked going to the East garden pathway.
The cold night breeze slipped beneath the black fabric covering my arms, but it did nothing to cool the heat crawling beneath my skin. My thoughts spiraled violently as I followed behind him.
Had he seen the hooded figure? The
