Her brows lift slightly. “That sounds serious.”
“It is.”
“What kind of lead?”
I study her for a second before answering. “It’s a woman.”
She blinks. “A woman?”
“Yeah.”
Her expression shifts, confusion mixing with something else. “That doesn’t…help much.”
“Not yet. But they’re still digging, and once the voice is clean, we’ll have a name.”
She exhales slowly, processing that, then nods. “Okay.”
Before I can say anything else, her phone buzzes on the table. She glances at it. Then freezes.
“What is it?” I ask, my grip tightening around her.
She swallows. “It’s my aunt.”
Everything in me sharpens instantly. “Don’t answer,” I say.
“She’s probably checking on me,” Nora says as she leaves my embrace and picks up her phone.
“Just…don’t tell her where you are,” I say, my voice quieter now but no less firm.
She nods, but the call ends even before she picks up. I slowly exhale.
“Will you call her back?” I ask.
“No.”
“Okay. Good.’
???
I turn onto the next street, thinking about the kill order on Nora. I needed a clear head to figure out how to handle this. With everything I know, I have no doubt that her aunt is behind the contract. But Nora won’t believe it without evidence.
I don’t blame her, but I’m torn and worried that she’d react the same way even with the truth staring her in the face. My phone rings. I pull it out. I don’t need to check the screen. I already know.
“What did you find?” I answer immediately.
Emerald doesn’t waste time. “We got it.”
My grip tightens slightly. “Who is it?”
“It’s her aunt.”
“Confirmed?” I ask.
“Yes,” he replies. “The inheritance clause triggered everything. If Nora dies before she turns twenty, the entire estate transfers to her aunt. She placed the contract through a third-party channel, masked her voice—but we traced it back.”
My chest tightens. I’m not surprised. I only needed the confirmation. But I feel bad for Nora. She’ll be devastated.
“Where’s Nora?”
