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A realization settled in his gut like lead. Blake stared hard at Matt. "Where did they get Hilton’s location?"

Matt’s expression barely changed, but the flicker in his eyes was enough. Blake’s blood went cold.

"You and Dylan knew where Hilton was," he said, his voice deadly quiet. "Youhadto know."

Matt swallowed. "Blake…”

"There was a second drive," Blake continued, the words coming sharper now. "The same information on the one Noah Kandor has. Hilton get greedy? The supposed deal didn’t fail? He figured he could make a quick buck? Betray the government and the buyer? And yet, Fairchild’s people got to him anyway. That means someone gave him up."

Matt's jaw tightened.

Blake shook his head, his breath coming slow and steady. "And the only people who knew where Hilton was?" His voice dropped lower. "Were the ones protecting him."

Silence.

Blake leaned forward, his eyes locked on Matt’s. "You and Dylan killed him, didn’t you?"

Matt didn't flinch, but he didn't deny it either.

Blake let out a slow breath. "Fairchild had Dylan under his thumb, didn’t he?"

Matt’s gaze darkened. "Yeah."

"And you?"

Matt’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. "I did what I had to do for Dylan."

Blake clenched his jaw. "Jesus Christ, Matt."

Matt ran a hand through his hair, looking away. "It was never supposed to go like this."

Blake sat back, his mind racing. If Dylan and Matt were forced to take Hilton out, then someoneinsidethe state attorney’s office must have fed them Hilton’s location. Fairchild had someone on the inside.

The question was—who?

Blake’s hands tightened into fists under the table. "Someone in the state attorney’s office is compromised.”

Matt exhaled, his voice tight. "Yeah. We went to see Hilton at the motel. They let us in as his lawyers. You guessed right—Dylan’s name was on the thumb drive."

Blake’s chest tightened.

"Hilton reached out to Dylan as a potential buyer," Matt continued. "He hadn’t told Kandor how to break the encryption yet. Hilton wanted some conditions met by the state before he gave it up, and he thought he had leverage. He figured he could erase Dylan’s name—for a price."

Blake’s stomach turned. "Fairchild didn’t negotiate." He shook his head. “Hilton didn’t try to extort Fairchild, did he?”

"Yeah. He figured Fairchild would jump at the chance to get it back." Matt swallowed hard. "Fairchild wanted the drive back and ordered the hit on Hilton. Two of his guys took out Hilton’s protection, then took Hilton with them. We didn’t pull the trigger, but we knew it was coming."

Blake’s pulse pounded. "Who gave Dylan Hilton’s location?"

Matt shook his head. "He never said."

Blake stared at him, his gut twisting. “Someone in the state attorney’s office sold Hilton out. And now Dylan is dead too. How many others did Hilton try to extort?”

Matt frowned. “I don’t know.”

Thirty-Four

Ruth drifted between sleep and wakefulness, her body heavy, her mind foggy. But something pulled her back—a feeling. It was quiet. Not the usual craziness of the hospital. Noah’s hand wasn’t wrapped around hers. This was stillness.