Crouched deep in the damp, cedar mulch of the bushes, Ethan remained still. A satisfied smile played on his lips as he stared at the metal door of the athletic center. Mara had been inside for exactly twelve minutes. She was executing his false trail. By the time she finally gave up on Nico's locker and came back out into the cold, she would be completely convinced that Nico was the architect of her terror. Her shattered trust in the world would crack even further, and she would fall back into Ethan's waiting arms. She was a broken bird, and he was the only one who understood how to fix her.
"What the hell are you doing back here?"
The voice was a low, dangerous rumble that cut right through the howling wind like a serrated blade.
Ethan jumped, his serene calm shattering for a fraction
