He slowly put the phone back into his pocket. “Alright.”

We left the federal building together, the cold night air hitting us like a wall.

A black sedan was waiting at the curb, its exhaust curling into the freezing air.

Damon opened the door for me, but he didn’t get in.

“I’ll have my driver take you to Marlene’s,” he said. “I have to return to Chicago to handle the board.”

“Goodbye, Damon,” I said, sliding into the leather seat.

He closed the door, and the car pulled away from the curb.

I watched his tall silhouette fade into the falling snow as we drove down the empty street.

Two hours later, the driver pulled up to a small, dark house overlooking the icy waters of Lake Superior.

Marlene was waiting on the porch, a thick wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

“Is he safe?” I asked the moment I opened the car door.

“He’s asleep inside, Nora,” Marlene said, her voice warm and reassuring. “He doesn’t know a thing.”

I rushed up the steps and hugged her, the smell of pine and woodsmoke on her clothes comforting me instantly.