Page 59 of In the Shadows
"I'm trusting you," she said. "With everything. My father's files. My investigation. My body." She paused. "My heart."
"I know." His hand came up to cup her face. "I won't let you down."
She kissed him then—soft and slow, without urgency. A promise of her own.
Tonight, they simply held on.
Chapter Eleven
Ronan woke to the weight of Lila's hand on his chest.
She was still asleep, her breathing slow and even, her body curved into his like she belonged there. He lay still, watching the gray light of early morning creep across the ceiling, and let himself have this. Just for a moment. The warmth of her skin. The softness of her hair against his shoulder. The way her fingers curled slightly, even in sleep, like she was holding onto him. He watched her sleep, her beautiful face peaceful in slumber. She’d carried so much these past couple of years, and at times, it showed on her. A tightness in her jaw, her rigid posture. As she lay here now, that was all gone.
A freckle on her shoulder caught his attention. He stared at it a moment, resisting the urge to touch it. Her fingers twitched slightly, then settled once more. He wondered if she were dreaming.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand.
He reached for it carefully, not wanting to break the spell. Caleb's name on the screen.
Found something. Call when you can.
Lila stirred. Her hand flexed against his chest, then stilled.
"You're leaving." Not a question.
"Not yet." He set the phone down and turned toward her. In the dim light, her face was soft, unguarded. No walls. No careful composure. Just Lila. "How did you know I was awake?"
"Your heartbeat changed." She opened her eyes. "It was slow. Then it wasn't."
He didn't know what to say to that. That she'd been listening to his heart while she slept. That she'd noticed the moment his mind clicked back into operational mode.
"Caleb found something," he said.
"Important?"
"I don't know yet."
She pushed herself up on one elbow. The sheet slipped, revealing the curve of her shoulder, the shadow of her collarbone. He remembered pressing his mouth to that spot last night. Remembered the sound she'd made.
"Then stay," she said. "Five more minutes."
He stayed for ten.
The call with Caleb came while Ronan was driving back from taking Lila home, waiting for her to shower, dress, and then head to work. If the gray sedan came back, he’d be there.
"I've been running pattern analysis on the property transfers," Caleb said without preamble. "Looking for timing correlations. And I found one."
"Go ahead."
"Every major transfer in the past five years—every single one—happened within thirty days of a town event. Founders Day. Fourth of July. Christmas parade. The timing isn't coincidental. They're using the events as cover."
Ronan pulled onto Beach Road and slowed. "Cover for what?"
"Paperwork that would draw attention any other time. Large cash movements. Survey certifications that need to be filed quickly before anyone looks too closely." Caleb paused. "The centennial isn't just a deadline, Ronan. It's the main event. Whatever they've been building toward for the past fifteen years, it's happening in twelve days."
"What kind of scale are we talking about?"
"Based on the parcels Webb just certified? If they complete these transfers during the centennial chaos, Caldwell's network will control sixty percent of the county’s coastal access. That's not just money. That's infrastructure. Shipping routes. Emergency response corridors."
