"If they’re watching, they’re worried that we’re onto something." Gideon's eyes are calculating. "We make them more worried. We investigate openly. Make them nervous enough to make a mistake."
"Using Elowen as bait," Calder says flatly. "Absolutely not."
"Not bait. Protected lure." Gideon meets his stare. "She's already a target. At least this way we control the circumstances."
"No." Three voices say simultaneously. Pack unified in protection.
"Then what's your plan?" Gideon challenges. "Hide? Wait? Pretend nothing happened?" He gestures to the photos. "That's what they did. That's why they're dead."
The brutal honesty of it silences us.
"We need middle ground," Julian says after a moment. "Investigate without making Elowen vulnerable. Protect her while we’re gathering evidence."
"Agreed," I say before anyone can speak for me. "I won't hide."
Gideon studies our dynamic for a long moment. "You actually work as a unit. That's… rare."
"That's pack," Tyler says simply.
"Iris would have liked you." Gideon's voice softens. "She wanted that. Pack that functioned as a team rather than hierarchy." He looks at me. The past tense hurts, but it also strengthens my resolve.
"Then let's do this," I say. "Let's stop him."
Gideon nods. "First priority: identify all possible suspects. I'll send you an encrypted file with my research. Add anything you observe, anyone who seems too interested, any inconsistencies."
"First priority," Julian corrects, "is protecting Elowen. Twenty-four-seven presence. No exceptions."
"Third," Calder says grimly, "we figure out their method. Can't stop them if we don't know how this is happening."
"And fourth," Tyler finishes, "we get the police involved when we haveconcrete evidence."
The meeting breaks up with grim purpose. Gideon provides a burner phone number for secure contact, and Julian takes copies of all files on a flash drive that he carries around in his pocket.
"Be careful," Gideon says at the door as we leave. "Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is."
My grandmother's words echoed by someone who learned the hard way.
"I will."
"And Elowen?" He hesitates. "Thank you. For helping. For…" His voice breaks slightly. "For not running away."
I don't know how to respond to that. So, I just nod.
Outside, the campus looks normal, students walking to class, leaves skittering across pathways, everything ordinary and safe.
But I know better now.
Somewhere out there, someone's watching. Waiting. Planning.
The clock is ticking.
Ten days until I fit the timeline.
Ten days to stop a killer.
Or become the next victim.
27
