Ava POV
The words from the broken phone still glowed in my mind. The rose garden. The thorns. The way M knew things no stranger should know.
I stood at the library window, my arms wrapped around myself, staring out at the grounds. The morning sun had burned off the last of the mist, leaving the garden bright and green and deceptively peaceful. Somewhere out there, hidden among the hedges and the old oak trees, was the truth. And I was going to find it.
Behind me, the men argued in low voices.
"We can't just sit here." Damien's voice, sharp and restless. "Every minute we waste, she's watching."
"She's been watching for years," Lucas said quietly. "A few more hours won't change anything."
"It changes everything if she decides to move first."
Marcus said nothing. He stood near the door
