Chapter 7

Kirrily "Rindy" pov

The Man From the Files

The zipper of the leather duffel bag caught against my fingers as I pulled it shut. The sound seemed far too loud in the quiet nursery.

I took a slow breath, but it didn't help.My chest was still tight.On the changing table, my three year old son, Toby, pushed his wooden train along the edge, making little noises as he played. He had no idea that his mother was trying not to fall apart.Melbourne.I kept telling myself it was only a temporary trip.I needed to secure the offshore account my sister had left behind before everything collapsed. If I could get the money and the documents connected to it, maybe Toby and I could finally disappear somewhere,the Reyes cartel couldn't find us.I had to leave today.Staying in Byron Bay suddenly felt too dangerous."Mama?"I looked up.Toby was staring at me with his bright hazel eyes."Train go choo choo?"A small smile pulled at my lips."Yeah, baby. The train goes choo-choo."

I crossed the room and knelt beside him, taking his little hands in mine."You're going to have a special sleepover with Miss Brenda while Mama goes to Melbourne."His face brightened."With the blue pancakes?"I almost laughed."With as many blue pancakes as you want."He threw his arms around my neck.I hugged him tightly, closing my eyes as I breathed in the familiar scent of his shampoo.Leaving him for even two days felt unbearable.But taking him with me was worse.I couldn't risk exposing him to whatever was waiting for me in Melbourne.A floorboard creaked in the hallway.I immediately turned.Brenda appeared in the doorway.At sixty two, she still carried herself like someone who had spent her entire life watching for danger. Her silver hair was pulled into a neat bun, and her blue eyes missed nothing.

She had once worked in private security for diplomatic families.Now, she was the only person I trusted with Toby."The car is waiting around the corner," she said. "Your flight leaves in two hours."I stood, trying to steady my hands."Is the property secure?""I checked it twice."She stepped closer."The motion sensors are active. The safe room is ready, and the encrypted radio is set to channel four." "What about the road?" "Clear."I nodded, but the knot in my stomach remained."If you see a vehicle you don't recognize, take Toby downstairs immediately." "Kirrily" "Don't call me first." My voice cracked. "Don't wait to see if it's harmless. Just lock the doors and activate a signal for help."Brenda placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I know what I'm doing."I looked at her."I know." "Then trust me."For a moment, I couldn't answer.My eyes moved slowly back to Toby.He was on the floor now, completely focused in his little wooden train.Four years of living with fear had taught me to question everything.Every unknown car,every strange phone call,every face that stayed  too long.But this trip was supposed to change that.It was supposed to buy us our freedom.I walked over to Toby and bent down beside him."I love you, my little bear."He barely looked up from his train."Love you too, Mama. Bring me a big train."I swallowed the tears burning behind my eyes."I will."I stood before I could change my mind."Strict security protocol, Brenda. No visitors."She nodded."Not even the mailman?" "Not even him."She gave me a faint smile."On my life."

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the nursery.Every step down the stairs felt heavier than the last.When I opened the front door, cool morning air rushed over me.The sun was beginning to rise beyond the trees, turning the sky orange and red.It should have been beautiful.Instead, something about the morning felt wrong.Too quiet.I walked toward my red car, reaching into my bag for the keys.I pressed the button.The car unlocked.Then I heard it.A faint metallic sound from across the road.I stopped.My heart began pounding.Slowly, I turned toward the tall trees.For a few seconds, I saw nothing.Then sunlight caught something hidden among the leaves.Glass.A scope.My blood ran cold.I barely had time to react.A sound that is not clear broke the silence.Pain tore through my shoulder.I stumbled backward, dropping my keys as I hit the ground.For a moment, I couldn't understand what had happened.Then the pain hit.

I took a quick breath, holding my shoulder as my vision blurred.Blood spread across my sweater.My first thought wasn't about myself.It was Toby.Please don't let them get to Toby.Then I heard footsteps.Fast.Heavy.Someone was running toward me.I tried to move, but my body wouldn't cooperate.A tall figure burst from the trees.He fired toward the woods before dropping beside me."Stay with me"His voice sounded distant.Strong arms lifted me carefully from the ground, and a gloved hand pressed against my shoulder.I looked up.The world seemed to slow down.I knew that face.The hard jaw.The scar near his cheek.Those dark eyes.Eyes I had seen in photographs.Eyes I had spent four years trying to forget.My heart stopped.No.It couldn't be him.

I stared at him, struggling to breathe.He looked scary.Not for himself.For me.His hand tightened against my shoulder."Look at me, Kirrily."My name.He knew my name.A cold realization spread through me.I raised my trembling hand and touched his jaw."You."His expression changed.For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes."I know you."My voice was barely a whisper."You were in the police files."He went completely still.I stared at him through the haze clouding my vision."The man who murdered my sister."His face drained of color.For one terrifying second, neither of us moved.Then he leaned closer."You've got it wrong," he whispered.I frowned."What?"His eyes flicked toward my house.Toward Toby.Then back to me.

"I didn't kill your sister."My heart pounded.Then who killed my sister?