Page 70 of Tracking Safety

She couldn’t walk out there and stand beside him as if what had happened between them was a bad dream they’d both woken up from. Whatever she was to this family at this moment, she hadn’t earned that right yet.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She pulled it out, expecting nothing—a promotional email maybe or a weather notification. Instead, a Google alert stared back at her. She hadn’t seen the name there in years.

Gerald Moss.

She turned to Ruby. “Listen, do you mind if I slip into my room a moment? I just remembered something I was supposed to do.”

“Of course. Go right ahead. I’ll keep an eye on the kids.”

She thanked her and then hurried upstairs to her room.

Once inside with the door closed, she hit the alert on Gerald Moss. He’d been Roderick’s attorney.

His obituary appeared.

Gerald A. Moss, 71, attorney, passed away after a brief illness.

Brief illness. She read the rest.

He was survived by his wife. Services were private.

Jenna navigated to the comment section and scrolled through the expected messages of condolence, wondering if she’d recognize any of the names. She was almost to the bottom when she read one and stopped.

He always knew how to close a deal. The work continues.—User1988

Her lungs froze. The work continues?

She’d heard Roderick say that exact phrase multiple times.

Realization hit her.

That was code, wasn’t it?

Someone in that organization had left a message in plain sight in language that only someone in their scope would understand.

The Barone family crime syndicate was still alive . . . and thriving.

And they had her in their sights. She was certain of it.

CHAPTER 28

Micah stood in front of the second cottage and studied the split frame.

Caleb and Naomi had arrived back at Refuge Cove from their errands around the same time. Caleb joined them, laptop in hand so he could review the damage.

He sat at a makeshift desk—plywood over two sawhorses—inside a cottage and reviewed security footage on his computer. He’d said very little since Luke had walked him through the damage. Luke knew what that meant. He was angry.

The new cameras Wes had installed last month had better resolution than the old system. Luke had been grateful for that upgrade approximately once before today. He was significantly more grateful for it now.

“I’ve got something.” Caleb turned the laptop toward them.

They gathered around it. The footage was from the camera mounted at the back corner of the main house—the widest angle of the property, covering the yard and the beginning of the tree line. The timestamp read 2:47 a.m.

The image was grainy at the edges but clear enough in the center.

A figure moved along the tree line at the far left of the frame. He wore a dark jacket and a ball cap pulled low—just like the person who’d cut the power last night. The man stayed close to the trees, moving like someone who knew exactly where the cameras were and how far their reach extended.