The farmhouse had never been so full. Cole stood in the kitchen doorway, watching his new family. Sarah was helping Evelyn cook. David was at the table with Clark, looking at blueprints for a construction project. Rachel was on the couch with Ava, showing her photos on a phone.
Normal. Too normal.
Cole couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The texts from "A Friend" kept coming. Different numbers every time. Always deleted. Never replied.
Kane had gone back to D.C. to process Arthur Vance's files. The flash drive contained over a thousand names. Accounts. Transactions. It would take weeks to go through everything.
Until then, they waited.
Cole walked outside. The air was cold. The fields were brown. Winter had settled in.
His phone buzzed. A new text.
“One of your new
