Page 35 of Keeper of Talon Mountain
"Working on it. How industrious." Crane's tone sharpens. "I hope you're working quickly, Gabriel. Because my patience has limits, and you're running out of time."
"You gave me seventy-two hours."
"I gave you a deadline. Whether you use that time wisely or waste it is entirely up to you." Another pause. "And just so we're clear—I'm watching everything. The sheriff's visit. The wildlife officer's presence. Whatever you're planning, I already know about it."
The line goes dead.
"He's bluffing," Zara says finally. "About knowing what we're planning. If he knew about the photograph, he'd have said something."
"Maybe." Zeke doesn't sound convinced. "Or maybe he's letting us dig ourselves deeper. Seeing what we uncover before he makes his move."
"Either way, we don't have a choice." Gabe straightens, decision made. "We keep looking. We find her. We crack that drive."
"And I've got Caleb working on contingencies," Zeke adds. "He and Travis Holt are coordinating defensive positions, evacuation routes if it comes to that. Making sure the town has options beyond hoping Crane keeps his word."
"Good." Gabe's shoulders relax slightly. "Because the alternative is everyone in this town dies, and I'm not letting that happen."
Nate claps him on the shoulder. "Then we'd better get started. Zeke, you work the facial recognition angle. I'll reach out to my contact about the encryption. Gabe, you keep trying to remember. Sometimes the harder you push, the more the memories resist. Try approaching it sideways—what do you remember about the period right before you set this up?"
"Not much. Fragments mostly. Mission debriefs. Realizing Chimera was corrupt. Deciding I had to do something." Gabe closes his eyes, reaching for memories that won't come. "And then... nothing. Just blank space where the critical details should be."
"Keep trying. In the meantime, we work the leads we have." Zeke heads for the door. "I'll call when I have something. Gabe, if she tries to make contact, it'll probably be through channels she thinks you'd recognize. Be alert for anything that seems like a message meant for you."
After they leave, the lodge feels emptier. Colder. More coffee gets made while Gabe paces, photograph in hand, trying to will recognition into existence.
"Tell me about Phoenix," he says suddenly. "Not the escape. Before that. What was your life like?"
The subject change throws me. "Why?"
"Because Crane knows about Derek. About your past. And if he's going to use that against you, I need to understand what we're dealing with."
He's right, even though I don't want to go there. Don't want to drag those memories into the light. But he's trusting me with his safety, with his life. The least I can do is reciprocate.
"I was an accountant. Good at my job, worked long hours, didn't have much of a life outside the office. Derek was a client first. Real estate developer, very successful, very charming. Asked me out for coffee to discuss his accounts and it just... developed from there."
"When did it change?"
"About eight months in. We moved in together, and that's when I started seeing the cracks. Little things at first—controlling what I wore, who I talked to, when I could see friends. Then the first time he hit me." The memory sits there. Heavy. "He apologized. Cried. Bought flowers. Said it would never happen again."
"But it did."
"It did. And each time, the apologies got shorter. The violence got worse. Until it wasn't about what I did wrong anymore. It was just about him feeling like it." My hands wrap around my coffee mug, needing the warmth. "The worst part wasn't the hitting. It was the way he made me believe I couldn't survive without him."
Gabe is quiet for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is gentle. "But you did survive. You got out."
"Because my grandmother gave me an option. Without this place, I don't know if I would have found the courage." I look at him. "That's what Crane's counting on. That knowing about Derek will make me too scared to fight back. That I'll convince you to give him what he wants to protect myself."
"Will you?"
"No." The word comes out fierce. "I didn't survive Derek just to let another man control my life through fear. Crane can threaten all he wants. I'm not backing down."
Gabe's expression shifts, becomes something softer. "You're stronger than you think."
"I'm just stubborn."
"Same thing." He sets down the photograph and pulls me close.
I lean into him for just a moment, drawing strength. Then my phone rings. Zeke.
