Page 25 of Controlled Drift
They had just enough time to turn before it happened.
The house erupted into fire and debris, the blast lifting the roof and walls in a violent bloom that tore through the trees and sent another shockwave racing outward.
Drew whistled low.“That’s one way to redecorate.”
Niko didn’t look at the destruction.He looked at Ethan.
“You didn’t live there,” he said flatly.
Ethan met his gaze.“No.I did not.”
A beat passed.
“I fucking knew it,” Niko muttered.
Silence settled, thick and charged.
Then Niko asked, “What now?”
Ethan turned toward the waiting vehicles, expression unreadable.
“Now,” he said, “I’ll take you to my home and my office, and we can talk.”
Chapter Five
Ethan’s “office” turnedout to be nothing like Niko had expected.
The drive took them deeper into the back hills of Oregon, past winding access roads that barely registered as roads at all.Dense forest pressed in on either side, tall evergreens swallowing sound and light, the world narrowing to damp earth, shadow, and the low hum of engines.Niko tracked the route automatically, cataloguing turns and elevation changes, already aware that anyone trying to follow them would be hopelessly lost.
When the security perimeter finally revealed itself, it did so quietly.
No visible fences.No obvious checkpoints.
Just men.
Armed.Alert.Professional.
