Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Elara and Kael drive four hours through predawn darkness to Harrow House, following Yuki's route data to the coastal property. They stop at a gas station in the nearest town to gather intelligence and scout the approach road, discovering Harrow House is fortified with security cameras and gated access. Kael reveals more about his brother's death and his suspicion that Marcus Liddell was directly involved. Elara receives an encrypted update from Soren Marsh containing partial guard rotation schedules and a warning that Liddell has departed early with Nina. The chapter ends with Elara and Kael committing to infiltrate Harrow House immediately rather than waiting for Liddell's arrival, knowing they must reach Nina before the transport vehicle does.
The road narrowed two hours outside the city.
Four lanes became two. Two became a winding stretch of asphalt cutting through forest so dense the headlights barely touched the trees before swallowing them whole. I drove while Kael navigated, Yuki's route data glowing on a burner phone balanced on the dashboard. No streetlights out here. No other cars. Just us and the dark and whatever waited at the end of this road.
Kael hadn't spoken much since we left Declan's apartment. He sat with one hand braced against the window frame, watching the trees slide past like he was counting them. Memorizing the landscape. I recognized the behavior because I did the same thing—cataloguing exits, mapping terrain, building the architecture of escape before you ever needed it.
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