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I cleared my throat and reached around her to open the door. Inside, the main entrance area was empty except for the sound of Deacon’s snoring that traveled from the living room. We tiptoed in and found him passed out next to an empty plate with his head resting on a pillow on the floor. Ethan was sprawled out on the couch close by.

Ava smiled affectionately at them, then put a finger over her lips when she turned to me. She pointed to the kitchen, and we silently made our way over there. Ethan had made sausage and peppers again, and he’d so graciously packed our portions away and stowed them in the fridge. Which was a blessing because if he hadn’t intercepted, I knew for a fact that Matthews would’ve inhaled them too.

Ava grabbed our portions and some fruit, and I got two forks and a flask of coffee with two cups. We didn’t even bother heating the leftovers, starving too much to care. Back out on the porch, we bypassed the rusted metal chairs that were too exposed near the railing. Instead, I dragged an overturned wooden crate over to the deep shadows by the cabin wall to serve as a makeshift table. We sat low to the floor, shoulders touching, eating the fruit and cold food straight from the container while the mist rolled off the lake.

The view ahead and the warmth of her sitting beside me did something to my head. Usually, I would run through a list of stuff that needed to get done. But the simple domestic atmosphere of sharing breakfast lakeside calmed every single one of those demanding voices. I could just relax and unwind for a bit. When I finished eating, I put the containers to the side and just placed my hand on her thigh. Ava looked down, then put her own hand over mine. Her palm was warm from holding the steaming cup, and she leaned over to rest her head against my shoulder.

Everything was perfect. If there was one moment I wished I could snapshot and stretch to last forever, it would be this right here. Her fingers traced patterns on the back of my hand, and for a second, I didn’t think anything could ruin this.

“You should take your guys and go, Nate,” she whispered.

And just like that, peace was over. I ground my jaw. I turned my head to look down at her. Her green eyes were soft.

“You don’t owe me anything. The thing with my company… it’s a mess. It’s dangerous. Your crew is your responsibility. I’m not. And I am not going to be the reason any of you get hurt,” she said.

I twisted my body slightly, wrapping my arm around her.

“Listen to me.” I could hear the resolve in my voice. My pulse kicked up at the idea of us leaving Ava here to deal with this bullshit by herself. But I knew I would throw myself into the thick of things to protect her before I’d leave Blackwood Lake. And whether it made me grateful or pissed, I knew the other two felt the exact same way. “I decide where my men go. Not you. And right now, we’re right here. So stop trying to push me away before you even tell me what the hell we’re actually dealing with.”

Ava opened her mouth to answer, but the words were cut off by a rhythmic, low vibration that started humming through the floorboards. It came from somewhere deep in the valley, and I instantly recognized the sound.

It was the unmistakable thwack-thwack-thwack of rotor blades slicing through the heavy mountain air. A helicopter.

My teeth were set on edge, and I felt Ava stiffen beside me as she realized what was happening. The front door banged open behind us, and Deacon and Ethan stumbled onto the deck, their eyes blurry with sleep but sharpening as they heard the engine in the sky.

“Inside. Now,” I said firmly, grabbing Ava’s arm. The other two followed without protest, both of their faces grim in acknowledgement that the time for half-truths and secrets was over.

We crowded into the dim living room. I watched Ava the whole time and noticed that her hands were shaking. She took a deep breath before she finally turned to face us.

“Wait here a sec. I need to fetch something,” she said before turning around and heading straight for her bedroom.

I turned to look at the others. Deacon’s eyes met mine with a knowing look, the same one I’d given him when he and Ava had slunk back to the demo site after I’d caught them in his truck. But his mouth was pressed into a tight line, and he said nothing. Ethan just looked worried, his arms folded across his chest.

“Did anything happen?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “Just the helicopter. We didn’t see anyone out there.”

Ava returned with her laptop in her possession, plonking herself down on the couch and booting it up. The three of us slunk around her, positioning ourselves so we could see what was happening.

Her face was pale, the post-sex flush totally gone.

“I need to apologize to all of you for not saying something the second I got to know I could trust you. And especially to you, Nate.” She gave me an apologetic smile. “I think in my head, I was protecting you guys like I was trying to protect Julia. But all I did was leave you in the dark when you should’ve been given the choice to stay or go. As is your full right.”

So this was it. She was going to show us what she had discovered and what whoever the hell was after her wanted. I exchanged a look with the guys. From their expressions, I guessed she hadn’t gone into that level of detail with them yet, and a small part of me felt relief. I wasn’t completely on the outskirts anymore. We were all in this thing together now.

When Ava’s laptop finally started up, her fingers flew across the keys as she began accessing different files. Ethan and I were both standing behind the sofa, watching the glowing screen over Ava’s shoulders. Deacon didn’t bother to look, but his stance and the tilt of his head told me he was paying full attention to listen.

“I found a secondary ledger at the firm where I worked,” she started, her voice tight as she swiped her thumb across the trackpad, bringing up a split-screen interface.

Ethan and I leaned in closer, trying to make sense of what we were seeing. On the left side of the screen sat two side-by-side spreadsheets—dual-column financial ledgers where millions of dollars were routed into untraceable shell companies, the numbers clearly cooked. On the right, a topographical map of Idaho lit up, showing green pipeline overlays cutting straight through heavily protected tribal watersheds marked for clear-cutting.

“They weren’t just lowballing environmental impact studies for federal land bids,” Ava explained, pointing a trembling finger at a folder labeled BLM_Comms. She clicked it open, revealing a string of encrypted emails and scanned memos.

“What is this?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.

“A paper trail communicating exact bribe amounts, wire routing numbers, and payout schedules to specific Bureau of Land Management officials,” she answered. Her whole body was tense. “They were actively bribing them to clear the land. It’s massive, multi-million dollar corporate racketeering, guys.”

She paused, looking like a balloon rapidly deflating under the weight of that confession. Ethan reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder, and I could tell that single, simple act worked to steady her. Deacon’s gaze was fixed on his hand, though, and maybe subconsciously, he took half a step closer. I chose to ignore it, redirecting all of my focus back to the screen.