“Someone’s coming.

Be careful, Tessa.” The line went dead.

At midnight, I heard Silas on the porch speaking softly into his phone.

I could distinguish only fragments: “No public announcement,” and “not until the audit team confirms it.” Then the kitchen door clicked shut.

I lay awake wondering what he had not told me, and why the word audit seemed to follow me into this quiet cabin.

PART 5