The sun had nearly vanished beyond the trees, casting long, skeletal shadows across the cabin walls.
Upstairs, Beckett stood motionless by the window, head tilted slightly as he peered through the curtain.
Nothing.
Just trees.
Just the last breath of light bleeding from the sky.
But… something tugged at the edge of his awareness.
A sound? A shift? A whisper in the stillness?
He squinted harder, eyes scanning the fading treeline. For a moment, he thought he saw movement—something soft and unnatural against the branches.
But when he looked again, the woods were undisturbed.
Just wind. Just nerves.
Or so they wanted him to think.
His jaw relaxed as his smile twisted into something wild, triumphant.
“You’re nothing compared to me, Blackwood! I outsmarted you! My plan is solid. I wo
