From her elevated perch, the world spread out like a masterpiece painted in stone and sky. Towering ponderosa pines and aspens crowded around her position, their branches creating a natural canopy that filtered the afternoon light. Beyond the tree line, the canyon yawned open—a vast chasm carved into layers of red sandstone, pink limestone, and cream-colored rock that told the story of the ages in geological shorthand.
The North Rim sat over a thousand feet higher than its famous southern counterpart, and the difference showed in everything from the cooler air to the thick forest that surrounded her. No crowds of tourists with their clicking cameras and chattering voices. No parade of tour buses belching diesel fumes. Just the whisper of wind through pine needles and the distant cry of a red-tailed hawk circling the thermals.
She was tucked with her back to the forest like a security blanket, but to her south, the canyon floor disappeared into purple shadows, the Colorado River nothing more than a silver thread winding through the depths. The far rim shimmered in the heat haze, a ribbon of gold and rust that seemed to float above the void.
This was why she’d chosen this spot. Isolation wrapped in beauty, the cover of the trees combined with a wide sky for her satellites. The nearest neighbor was the North Rim village made up of a campground, lodge, visitor center, general store, and a couple dozen buildings for staff. But even that was miles away over winding forest roads. Out here, she could disappear into the landscape like smoke.
She tried the call again. This time Emberly answered on the second ring.
“What’s wrong?”
Of course that was Emberly’s first response. She’d lived the past ten years as an elite Black Swan, running ops and looking over her shoulder. Nimue had always been equal parts proud of and terrified for her sister. But after living just eight months on the run, she’d decided she should have been way more worried about Em.
Loneliness. Fear. Paranoia, even. No wonder Emberly was always moving, always changing her appearance. No wonder she wanted to hang on tight to the rare and surprising relationship she had with a former Navy SEAL. Frankly, the two were made for each other.
After Nimue’s house burned down, there really was no place for her. But even if it hadn’t, she wasn’t safe there. She wasn’t safe anywhere. More than that, anywhere she went painted a target on anyone around her. The Bratva wanted her dead—that much had been clear from the moment she’d stared down the barrel of Teresa’s gun. They wouldn’t hesitate to take out anyone who stood in their way. They’d been lucky that no one had died during the Russian Bratva’s attack at King’s Inn. They might not be so lucky next time.
Leaving felt like the only way to ensure that her sister and her new life stayed safe.
But no, Nimue wasn’t a Swan. Never wanted to be. She preferred home and family.
At least in her wildest dreams.
“I’m…fine.” The lie tasted bitter.
“You don’t sound fine.” Emberly’s voice shifted from ops leader to protective older sister. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Everything.” She cleared her throat, hating how weak she sounded. “How did you do it? Live alone. Always looking over your shoulder. Never feeling completely safe.”
A shiver ran down her spine, and she wrapped her free arm around her waist.
“This won’t be forever.” Emberly’s voice softened. Always the big sister. Always trying to protect. “We just need to figure out what they want from you. Sure, you got into their servers and tracked them. But it has to be something in those files you downloaded. Have you cracked any of them?”
Nimue made her way back down the steps to her kitchenette, phone pressed to her ear. She poured herself a fresh cup of coffee, the rich aroma doing nothing to calm her nerves. “Some. I’m still working on it. But I’ve been going over the data I acquired. Most of it is benign. Old shipping documents, some bank transactions. I turned it all over to the Caleb Group for their hacker to decipher, but Coco doesn’t have anything either. Maybe it’s just revenge.” She sighed. “Maybe I’m just overreacting. I could come back?—”
“No!”
Oh, hello.Nimue took a breath. “Okay, Em. What aren’t you telling me?” Nimue set the mug down harder than necessary, coffee sloshing over the rim.
A beat, and her sister’s voice cut low. “I’m pretty sure I saw someone watching us yesterday.”
Nimue reached for a paper towel but froze. “What?”
“I don’t know. It was quick. They were parked in an SUV down the street—not at all conspicuous in a community like Melbourne Beach. Stein was on the roof, and he spotted it first. I was inside, painting a wall, and by the time I got out on the porch, the SUV was pulling away.”
“Could’ve been a lost tourist.”
“Or it could’ve been the Russian Bratva, waiting for you to show up.”
“You have to get out of there.” Nimue’s hand shook as she wiped up the mess.
“Trust me, Stein doesn’t let me out of his sight. He even insists on running with me, though I know it’s killing his knees.”Emberly’s voice carried a note of fondness that made Nimue’s chest ache. “But after yesterday, we talked and decided that we’d rather have them watch us than you. However, Stein set up a security perimeter and scanned the house for bugs.”
“You moved in yet?”
“No. I’m still living in the camper beside your house. Stein is at Win’s place down the road.”
“Wait—Winchester Marshall’s estate? The actor?”
