SNOW SUCKED the sound out of the world.
The masked man stood in the clearing like he had been waiting there for them—silent, still, dark against the white backdrop. Wind tossed the branches overhead, sending loose flakes spiraling down between them.
Jeremiah’s reaction was instant.
“Lily. Behind me,” he ordered, voice sharp.
She didn’t argue. She barely had time to breathe before he shifted back, his arm sweeping her behind him in a protective arc. His stance widened, shoulders squared, the flashlight steady in one hand while the other hovered near his holster.
The masked man didn’t flinch.
He didn’t raise a weapon.
He simply stood, the storm swirling around him like he was the only fixed thing in the world.
Jeremiah’s voice cut through the silence like gravel. “Hands where I can s
