Chapter 24
Blackwater The silence after Kaia spoke the name felt wrong. Not ordinary silence. Not hesitation. Fear. Real fear. Kaia slowly lowered the photograph from where she’d been staring at the faded handwriting on the back, her eyes moving between Rowan and the men gathered inside and outside the ruined office. Nobody looked surprised she read the message. Nobody questioned whether the words were real. They just looked like they wished she hadn’t said them out loud. Blackwater. The name settled heavily in the stale air around them. Rain continued drumming steadily against the roof overhead while water leaked through cracks in the ceiling and slid slowly down the concrete walls. Somewhere outside, thunder rumbled low and distant through the trees, but inside the office nobody moved. Ka
- Writer
