The air inside the cabin felt too still—like the walls themselves were listening.
After the noise outside, none of them had spoken for nearly twenty minutes. Jace sat by the window, flicking his lighter open and shut, the sound sharp against the quiet. Ezra was still by the table, gun limp in his hand, staring at the door like it might come alive.
Kai moved once, wordlessly, checking the back exit. Then he pulled something from his coat—thin copper wire, a few nails, a small metal canister. Ezra watched as he crouched near the doorway and started working silently, his fingers deft, precise.
"What are you doing?" Ezra asked, voice low, dry.
Kai didn't look up. "If they come back, they'll step into something that bites."
Jace smirked faintly. "Old habits die hard, huh?"
Kai's eyes flicked up briefly. "I don't let mine die at all."
Ezra shifted uneasily. "You're setting traps? Here?"
Kai's tone was even. "If they're hunting us, they'll follow the trail we left. When they do, I want to hear their footsteps before they hear ours."
The calmness in his voice made Ezra's skin prickle. This wasn't paranoia. It was experience. Kai had done this before. Too many times.
Jace stretched, yawning dramatically. "So, boss, while you play boy scout, what do you want us to do? Hold hands and hope?"
Kai didn't answer. He finished twisting the wire, then stood, brushing off his palms. "Stay awake. Stay quiet."
"Fun night," Jace muttered.
Ezra tried to slow his breathing. His nerves buzzed like live wires. He wanted to ask why Kai seemed so certain someone would come—but he already knew. The look in Kai's eyes wasn't fear. It was anticipation.
This was a man who expected to be hunted.
---
Hours slipped by, slow and suffocating.
The forest moaned softly under the wind. The old cabin creaked with each gust, the boards shifting like something alive. Jace dozed with his boots on the table, cigarette burning low between his fingers. Ezra sat opposite him, watching the smoke curl.
Kai stood by the window, motionless. Always watching.
When he finally spoke, it startled both of them.
"Tell me something," he said quietly. "When you pulled that trigger, Ezra… did you close your eyes?"
Ezra's throat went dry. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything."
Jace snorted softly without looking up. "Oh, here we go. Philosophy at gunpoint."
Kai ignored him. His eyes stayed on Ezra. "Answer."
Ezra clenched his jaw. "No."
Kai's expression didn't change, but something in his posture eased slightly, like he'd been expecting the opposite. "Good. You can't afford to blink in moments like that."
Ezra snapped. "I don't want moments like that! I'm not like you!"
The words hung in the air, raw and cutting.
Jace opened one eye, amused. "Careful, sweetheart. You're talking to the man who taught half this city how to kill quietly."
Kai's voice remained calm. "You're right. You're not like me."
Ezra's pulse stuttered. "Then why am I here?"
Kai finally turned to face him. "Because you still ask that question."
Ezra stared at him, breath shallow. "That's not an answer."
Kai's lips twitched—something that might have been a smirk, or something sadder. "No. It's not."
---
A soft crack outside broke the tension like glass.
Jace was instantly alert, sitting up, hand on his gun. Kai moved to the window, eyes scanning the tree line.
Ezra froze. "Was that—"
"Stay down," Kai ordered.
Jace's grin returned, low and sharp. "Guess your little wire trick's about to pay off."
A faint metallic click echoed from the porch—then a sudden, muffled bang. The cabin shuddered. Dust fell from the ceiling beams.
Kai ducked low, motioning sharply. "Back wall, now!"
Ezra stumbled after him, adrenaline spiking so hard he could barely breathe. "What the hell was that?"
"Warning," Kai said curtly. "Now they know I'm expecting them."
Jace laughed breathlessly. "Oh, they'll love that."
Kai crouched near the back window, eyes narrowing. "Two of them. Maybe three. Moving in formation."
Ezra peeked toward the door, panic clawing at his throat. "You can tell that from—"
"Footsteps," Kai interrupted. "Weight. Pattern. You learn to listen."
Jace loaded his gun with lazy precision. "Guess the party's started."
Ezra's hands trembled. He tried to steady the weapon, but his fingers felt foreign, useless.
Kai's voice dropped to a whisper. "Breathe, Ezra. You're no good to me if you're frozen."
"I—" Ezra swallowed. "I can't—"
Kai grabbed his wrist, firm but not harsh. "Look at me."
Ezra did. For a moment, everything else faded—the footsteps outside, the cold air, the racing pulse. All that existed was Kai's voice, low and steady.
"You're not going to die here," Kai said. "Not unless you choose to."
Something steadied inside him. Just enough.
Outside, another crunch of leaves. A flashlight beam slashed briefly through the cracks in the wall.
Jace grinned wolfishly. "Showtime."
The next few seconds blurred—shadows moving outside, a shout, a crash as the front door splintered inward. Gunfire erupted, deafening in the confined space.
Ezra hit the floor, heart exploding in his chest. Splinters rained down. Jace fired once, twice, laughing under his breath like a man unafraid to die.
Kai moved like water—fluid, precise. A shot through the window, another through the doorframe. Each one clean. Controlled.
Then silence again. Just breathing. Just the ringing in Ezra's ears.
Kai moved first, stepping over broken glass toward the door. He crouched, checking the threshold, then stood. "Two down. The rest ran."
Jace exhaled smoke, grinning wide. "Efficient as always."
Ezra was still shaking. "They… they found us."
Kai turned toward him. His face was calm, but his eyes burned. "No. They followed us."
Jace's grin faltered. "You mean—"
"Someone told them where we'd go," Kai said. "Again."
Ezra's stomach turned cold. "So… the leak's still alive."
Kai holstered his gun. "And closer than we thought."
The words landed heavy between them. Ezra could feel Jace's gaze burning into his side, full of mocking suspicion.
Kai met Ezra's eyes, unblinking. "Get some sleep. Both of you. Tomorrow, we find out who's bleeding us."
Ezra's throat closed. "And if it's one of us?"
Kai turned away. "Then I'll make it quick."
The cabin fell silent once more, but it wasn't peace. It was pressure—the kind that made walls groan and hearts crack.
Ezra sat awake long after the others went quiet, gun in his lap, ears tuned to every creak.
He didn't trust the night.
He didn't trust Jace.
And for the first time… he wasn't sure he trusted Kai, either.
---