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My mouth goes dry. The back of my neck prickles, every hair standing on end. My legs feel like they might give out on me.

I grip Finn’s shirt hard. Boone and Jonah say something else, but I don’t hear it. There’s a rushing sound in my ears. I try to pull in air, but my chest feels locked up.

There was someone on the property. Someone close enough to reach the truck.

Close enough to see the house.

To see Mae.

To see me.

I feel like I might collapse. Then Boone is standing next to me, his hand on my arm.

“Did you know the rabbit was on the front porch?” he asks

“I thought—” I stop. The excuses sound thin even in my own head. “I didn’t want to be the girl who panics over nothing.”

“This isn’t nothing,” Boone says.

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I didn’t think it was something to worry about.”

I was wrong.

“You didn’t know it wasn’t.”

He’s right. This isn’t just some teenager playing pranks. No, this was another warning.

They found me.

Chapter 21

Jonah

Idon’t sleep that night.

None of us do really. Mae is tucked between Ani and Finn in his big bed. Boone offered to stay outside the door, but Finn and I agreed that’s not necessary.

The second the sun crests the trees, I’m outside. I start with the truck. The passenger-side window is completely gone. Glass litters the front seat, scattered across the floorboards. Whoever did it didn’t steal anything. They didn’t open the door or mess with the ignition. They just shattered it and left it that way.

I sweep the perimeter next. I find two boot prints near the southern gate. My gut tightens.

I finish the sweep and head straight for the barn. There’s a locked cabinet in the back corner with exactly what I need. Within the hour, I’ve got new cameras mounted along the porch, one near the rear treeline, and another pointed at the truck. I sync the feeds to Boone’s secure server. I test motion sensitivity until I know they’ll trip easily.

Then I head back inside.

I pull one of the pistols from the safe and check the chamber. Boone shoots me a look when I carry it back into the kitchen, but he doesn’t say a word. He knows what I’m doing.

I set the firearm on the top shelf of the pantry, behind the big bag of rice. Mae can’t reach it. Ani won’t know it’s there unless I show her. But I know it’s within arm’s reach if we need it.

I spend the rest of the morning checking locks, rechecking cameras, logging the vehicle damage and the print impressions.

I’m doing all this to show Ani that we can protect her if we need to.

Once I feel satisfied enough to take a few breaths, I go looking for our girl. I find her on the back porch, sitting on the second step.

Mae is inside with Finn. I’ve waited all day to speak with Ani alone.

I ease the door shut behind me. Ani doesn’t turn around. She’s holding a chipped mug of tea in both hands. She’s staring straight ahead.