Dane's POV:
I was supposed to go meet Perrin.
That was the plan. The one solid thing anchoring my thoughts.
Perrin, after reuniting with his family, after watching his wife and daughter cling to him like he might disappear again, was softer now. More open.
Less disgusting.
He would talk now.
He would help.
And I needed that.
Because I was running out of time.
Someone had found a way to attack Jake and Rain right here, under my roof, inside what was supposed to be a secure holding compound. That wasn't coincidence.
That wasn't bad luck.
That was planning. Precision.
Familiarity with our routines.
Someone killed my friend, and my girl is on the chopping block next.
There was a stalker.
I knew that much.
I could feel it in my bones. The messages. The timing.
The way Rain had been watched, followed, photographed.
And now Jake was dead.
Dead.
The word still didn't sit right in my head.
