Chapter Sixty-Four
The days leading up to the southern run moved with a strange, heavy slowness, as if the clock itself was fighting against the inevitable departure. The compound was in a constant state of quiet, high-stakes preparation. I had expected the hallways of the clubhouse to be filled with the sound of Vivian’s boots, her sharp voice offering tactical advice to Stone, and her feline eyes mocking me from across the main room. But to my immense relief, she was barely visible.
Most of her time was spent locked in the basement offices with Stone and Bear, going over old, dusty hard copies of the distribution logs that had been saved from the digital scrub. When she did venture upstairs, she kept her distance, walking quickly with her head down, completely focused on the heavy fold
