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She shifted slightly, her limbs weak. She wasn’t alone. There was someone in the room.

She took a slow breath, forcing her voice past the dryness in her throat. “Noah?”

The typing stopped immediately. Then, a quiet exhale. “He’s finally asleep.” Paul’s voice. Steady, relieved—exhausted.

Ruth’s brow furrowed.Asleep?She swallowed. “Where are we?”

Paul shifted. “A safe house. Middle of nowhere.” A pause. “You’re safe, Ruth.”

Safe.The word felt foreign.

“Ruth, I’m going to swab your lips.” He swiped her dry mouth.

“How long have we been here?”

“Three days. I’m going to take a listen to your chest and check your vital signs.”

She nodded. His touch was gentle as his stethoscope pressed against her. “What were you doing?”

The mattress dipped beside her. “Trying to figure out why Hilton gave Noah the drive.”’

An envelope flickered in her memory. Her brows fretted. Noah never showed her the thumb drive.

Ruth’s stomach twisted. “Hilton. The witness Noah was protecting.” She swallowed hard. “And?”

Paul sighed. “Noah got into the thumb drive Robert Hilton gave him. The files show every bribe, every hit, every deal Maxim Fairchild made. But that’s just it. There’s nothing here that explains why Hilton ran.”

Ruth frowned. “What do you mean?”

Paul exhaled sharply. “Hilton was an accountant. He knew where the money was going. He had been handling dirty transactions for years. So why now? Why turn on his employer? And why give the drive to Noah?”

Ruth’s breath caught slightly. She assumed Noah had been targeted. That Hilton had sought him out for a reason. “What if there wasn’t one?”

Paul continued, “Noah wasn’t picked for a reason. He was just the person available when Hilton needed to talk.”

Ruth’s mind churned. No connections to Fairchild. No strategy. Just random luck. Hilton walked into that office and picked Noah because he was there.

Paul sighed. “That means this wasn’t planned.”

Ruth swallowed. “Then what was it?”

Paul was quiet for a long moment. Then: “A desperate move.”

A chill ran down her spine.

Hilton was running from something. And Noah was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ruth’s breath shook slightly. She turned toward Paul’s voice, her expression tight with realization. “Hilton gave Noah this drive for a reason… My guess, he couldn’t find a buyer.”

Noah had the drive. And that meant they were all in danger.

“Ruth, I don’t want you to worry. Let yourself rest. We are safe here.” Paul tucked the blanket around her. He lingered, his hand resting on the edge of the mattress.

“You sound exhausted.” Ruth sighed.

“A little tired,” he admitted.

Finally, she heard him pull the chair closer to her bedside and sit down. His breathing changed as sleep claimed him.

* * *