Chapter 18 - The Phantom Lens
Victor dived into the sedan, and the vehicle sped away down the icy lane, its taillights bleeding red against the falling snow.
Alexander stood on the porch, his chest heaving, the bitter cold biting into his skin. His mind raced like an unhinged engine. *Someone she trusts.*
The door behind him opened slowly. Gabriel stepped out, his gun lowered but still held firmly at his side. He had heard the confrontation. Beside him stood Claire, her expression torn between horror at the revelation and the shock of seeing Alexander’s sheer ferocity.
"Did you hear what he said?" Alexander asked, his voice low and ragged.
"Every word," Claire said, stepping forward onto the snowy planks. "Who would take a photo of me? Nobody here even has a reason to care."
"Someone who was paid," Gabriel muttered darkly. "The town is small, Claire. Fishermen, dockworkers, shopkeepers. A hundred thousand dollars in cash is more than most families here see in three years. If someone offered a bounty for your location, anyone could have snapped a picture with a smartphone."
"No," Claire shook her head firmly. "The picture that Julianna posted on social media—the one that started all of this—it wasn't taken from the street. It was taken from the private greenhouse behind the store. That door is locked from the inside every night."
Alexander turned to Gabriel, his eyes blazing. "Who has keys to that greenhouse?"
Gabriel’s jaw hardened, his eyes shifting downward toward the snow-covered gravel. For the first time since Alexander had arrived in Blackwood Harbor, the unflappable protector looked shaken.
"Only three people have keys," Gabriel said slowly. "Claire. Me."
"And who else, Gabriel?" Alexander demanded, taking a step toward him.
May you like
Gabriel looked up, his voice barely audible over the rising wind. "My sister, Elena. The one who manages the bookkeeping for the shop."
***
