Elaine stopped, her boots clicking against the concrete.

“Do what?” she asked.

“You were my friend,” I said. “When I came to Copper Harbor four years ago, pregnant and terrified, you helped me. You kept my secret.”

“I did,” Elaine said. “I kept you hidden.”

“But you weren’t protecting me,” I said, my voice rising slightly. “You were waiting.”

Elaine sighed, a small cloud of white vapor escaping her lips.

“You always were too smart for your own good, Nora,” she said.

“You told Apex where I was,” I said. “You’re the one who leaked my location to them.”

Elaine chuckled, a cold, dry sound that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Apex is a business, Nora,” she said, taking another step closer. “And Damon Vale is a very powerful man. But power shifts.”

“You worked for them the entire time,” I said. “Even back in Chicago.”

“I was a consultant,” Elaine said, her tone indifferent. “When Damon’s father was alive, the syndicate had access to resources you couldn’t possibly understand. Then Damon took over. He started shutting down the private accounts. He wanted to make the company legitimate.”