The sleet was falling faster now, turning the dirt road into a gray sheet of ice.

My phone in my cardigan pocket vibrated again.

It was a short, sharp buzz—not an email, but an encrypted text message on the secure line.

I did not pull it out.

“You need to leave, Gregory,” I said softly.

“Clara, please,” he begged, standing up. “Just tell me what to say to Vance. Just give me one name, or one account number that will make him sign. I’ll pay you. I have eighty thousand in a safety deposit box in the city. I’ll give you all of it.”

“Vance doesn’t want money from you, Gregory,” I said. “He wants safety. And he knows Arthur cannot provide that anymore.”

I walked to the front door and opened it, letting the freezing wind sweep into the warm kitchen.

“Go back to the city,” I said. “Tell Arthur you couldn’t find me.”

Gregory stared at me for a long moment, his shoulders slumping.

He knew there was no bargaining with me once my mind was made up.