Page 46 of Obscurity (Pros and Cons Mysteries #5)

B oth men stopped talking immediately.

“What was that?” the silver-haired man snapped.

Max was already moving toward the hallway, his hand reaching for something at his belt—probably a weapon. “Sounded like it came from the stairs.”

Olive’s mind raced through her options.

The back door was still her best exit route, but reaching it required crossing Max’s line of sight.

The front door was closer but would put her in direct view of both men.

And hiding was no longer an option—they were actively searching for the source of the noise.

“Check upstairs,” the silver-haired man ordered. “I’ll search down here.”

As Max’s heavy footsteps headed toward the staircase, Olive realized she had seconds to make her move before the hallway became a trap with no escape routes.

The kitchen and back door were her only chance.

But getting there meant timing her movements perfectly and hoping that fifteen years of training would be enough to get her out of this house alive.

Max’s heavy footsteps entered the hallway, and Olive knew she was out of time and options.

With no other choice, she abandoned stealth entirely and ran.

She sprinted toward the back of the house, her shoes slapping against the hardwood as shouts erupted behind her.

The kitchen doorway seemed impossibly far away, and she heard both men moving now—Max’s thundering pursuit and the silver-haired man barking orders into what was probably a radio.

“Stop! Security breach!”

Olive hit the back door at full speed, grateful it was still unlocked from her entry. She burst outside into the late afternoon air and immediately veered toward the tree line, hoping the forest would provide cover for her escape route back to the festival grounds.

Behind her, the door slammed open as Max chased her outside.

“There! Heading for the woods!”

She had to move—and fast.

Because she was certain if she was caught, she’d mysteriously disappear also.