Chapter 10
Kara sat up slowly, noticing Isaac sitting in the chair by the window, boots still on, eyes fixed on the parking lot below.
“You didn’t sleep,” she said softly.
“Just enough,” he replied. “I’m worried about you.”
Isaac doesn't know anything about this life. What did he think of her now?
After jumping headfirst into the mess that was her life. Kara felt he wanted to make a break for it even before George’s death. That he pitied her. Fearful of knowing his true thoughts, she stayed silent.
Her gaze drifted, and that’s when it hit her.
The stash house. King’s old one, tucked behind the shuttered bait shop off Route 4. The place Elias had taken her to the night he saved her life.
Just in case, Elias had said back then, guiding her through the back door like it was nothing. If things ever go sideways, you come here.
Elias hadn’t been warning her about danger. He’d been pointing her toward safety.
“Isaac,” she said, already reaching for her jacket.
He turned. “What?”
“I remember where,” she said. “A place he’d mean. Somewhere specific.”
Isaac studied her, reading the tension in her shoulders. “You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
She hesitated—just long enough to bury the rest of it. The money. The crew. The reason Elias had ever taken her there in the first place.
“An old property he lived at,” she said instead. “Off the main road.”
Isaac nodded slowly. “That's enough to go on?”
“It is.”
He didn’t press; he didn't notice her hands were shaking, or that her voice had gone flat.
“Ten minutes,” Isaac said, standing. “Then we go check it out.”
Kara nodded, keeping the rest to herself. Some truths were better left unsaid.
At least for now.
The neighborhood hadn’t seen a fresh coat of paint in at least a century. Wind whistled through the trees, creating a thin, mournful sound.
The house was more intact than the others, though something was unsettling about it. It felt haunted. Isaac laughed uncomfortably, his eyes scanning their surroundings as he drove onto the lot.
? ? ?
It had been thundering, a storm ripping through the night—one of her first solo drops. Elias usually monitored closely, but that night she was alone.
Kara parked near the drop site and killed the headlights, leaving the engine running as usual. The air felt wrong—carrying wariness in the breeze.
She stepped out of the car. Same routine as always. Confirm the money, then make the handoff.
It took only a few steps before she noticed it.
Another car.
It sat farther down the road, half-swallowed by shadow. No headlights. No interior light. Just the dark shape of it. Her skin prickled.
She paused, every instinct screaming. This wasn’t right. She’d been expecting one car—maybe two men—it felt like an ambush.
Kara turned back toward her car, walking slowly at first, then picked up the pace. Her hand shook as she reached for the door handle.
Another vehicle rolled in behind her, headlights flaring. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she shut herself inside and locked the doors.
A soft rap came at her window. She stiffened. Then she lowered the glass just an inch. Relief washed over her when it registered that it was Elias.
“It’s not safe.”His voice was low, steady.
He looked so much more intimidating then, built for trouble, but his eyes were kind. She didn’t hesitate, following him for what could have been an hour or twenty minutes to the house. The pair waited out the night. By dawn, Elias was gone, along with the duffel bag of product.
? ? ?
Kara opened the car door before it came to a full stop. Isaac followed without a word, scanning the yard as though expecting movement in the shadows.
There were no obvious signs of life.
The wind rattled the bait shop sign behind them, metal screeching against metal. Kara swallowed hard. The front of the house was nearly swallowed by a wall of wild, spiky overgrowth. They cut through the side yard; going through the front door felt far too risky.
The wooden planks groaned beneath them as they stepped onto the back porch, overgrown with weeds, shaded by a crooked tree.
“He said it was under the floorboards,” Kara said, already kneeling. Her fingers moved with purpose, brushing aside leaves and dirt, nails catching on splinters.
The boards were soft in places, brittle in others. They worked quietly, lifting and prying at the loose ones, hearts pounding harder with each empty patch of dirt. Sweat beaded at Kara’s temples despite the cool air. They tore through four feet of space.
“I think that's something”.
She stopped.
“What?” Isaac asked quietly.
“The boards,” she said, pointing. “They shouldn't be like that.”
One plank near the far corner sat slightly raised, its nails dark and fresh against gray wood. Lifted.
Isaac’s jaw tightened. He shifted closer to the door, scanning the tree line. “Someone’s been here.”
Kara’s pulse spiked.
How recent?
“Elias hid something there,” she said softly. Isaac reached down, peeling back the floorboard.
Kara was certain of one thing: They weren’t alone in their search for answers, and things were more sinister than she thought.
“There’s nothing,” Isaac finally muttered, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Or someone got here before us.”
Kara sat back on her heels, chest rising and falling with frustration. “It’s supposed to be here,” she said. “He said this was it. Back porch and under the floorboards.”
“Sweetheart. We don't even know what we're looking for.” Isaac looked at her, his brow furrowed. “He was in a lot of pain, Kara. Could he have just been delirious?”
“No,” she said too quickly. Then, quieter, “He looked scared”.
What she understood about Elias was that he doesn’t scare easily. Whatever he knows—it’s real, she thought, staring at the space beneath the boards as it had betrayed her.
Isaac stood and offered her his hand.
“If whatever it is—or whatever it was—isn’t here, then it was moved. Someone didn’t want it found.”
Kara took his hand and let him pull her up. Her fingers were covered in dirt and grime.
She felt defeated. Contrasting with the hope she had when they arrived.
“We keep looking,” she said, brushing her hands off on her coat. “Because whatever was hidden…someone went to a lot of trouble to make sure it stayed that way, even after all this time”.
Kara glanced toward a dark hallway. “You really think someone moved it?”
Isaac nodded slowly. “If they knew someone would be looking, yeah.”
Kara folded her arms. “You seem pretty comfortable with all of this.”
“I’m not.”
She looked at him. “You could’ve fooled me.”
Isaac gave a quiet laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes. “I’m trying not to add to your troubles.”
“It's a little late for that.”
He looked toward the floorboards again. “Whatever was here mattered to someone. Enough that they came back for it. I don’t know how that connects to George, Elias, or you”.
The house creaked around them, the sound carrying through the empty rooms.
Kara glanced toward the dark hallway. “Something about this place feels wrong.”
Isaac's jaw tightened.
“You feel it too,” she said.
He looked away.
“Isaac?”
“Yeah,” he finally admitted. “I do.”
Back at the hotel, Kara sat on the edge of the bed, one boot half-removed, staring at the wall, feeling lost. The room smelled faintly of lavender from the air freshener the housekeeping staff insisted on using. It was too clean and sweet after the scent of hardwood rot they had just come from.
While Isaac was in the bathroom washing up, the running water masked the static in her thoughts. She picked up the hotel phone and dialed the number at the hospital she’d pulled up on her phone earlier.
“County General, how can I direct your call?”
“I’m checking on a patient—Eli…Monroe,” she corrected quickly. “He came in late last night with injuries consistent with….injuries”. She paused, unsure of how else to phrase it without revealing too much.
“Are you family? We’ve been lookin’ for his family”.
“Yes,” she said quickly. There was a brief shuffle, keys clicking. “Hold on, please.”
The wait stretched. Kara stared at the carpet, tracing the edges of the pattern with her eyes.
Finally, a new voice picked up.
“This is Dr. Michaleson. Are you family?” he continued before she could speak.
“He arrived with extensive injuries. There's significant swelling around the brain, multiple fractures, and internal bleeding we’ve been working to control. He's stable, which is a positive sign, but he’s not out of danger yet.”
Kara’s eyes fluttered closed, relief softening her features. “Thank you.” He’d been in such a bad state. She hadn’t truly believed he would survive.
“Can I come see him?”
“ICU visitation is restricted to family.” He hesitated, then added, “I should also let you know—the police have been notified. With injuries like his, a report is standard procedure.”
Kara’s grip tightened on the phone. Isaac materialized beside her.
“He was in and out of consciousness earlier,” the doctor continued. “Disoriented. But he did repeat a name a few times.”
She had meant to hang up—but curiosity rooted her in place. “What was the name?”
The word hit harder than it should have. For a second, she’d expected something else—Max, maybe. Something that would keep her at a distance from whatever this was.
What did it mean?
Her thoughts tangled, unease creeping in.
Isaac, who had been waiting quietly, leaned forward. “Any word?”
“He’s alive,” she said with relief, but it came out thin. “Critical. They’re watching him closely. The police are involved.”
Isaac’s expression shifted. “Police?”
Kara nodded, still distant. “And…he was conscious for a minute, and he kept saying a name.”
“What name?”
Her voice dropped. “Mine.”
“You did save his life,” Isaac said. “Maybe he thought you were still around.”
Kara gave a small sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn't pushed for more answers. She wasn’t ready to explain—but the lack of questions left a hollow space.
It bothered her more than she was ready to admit. It should have made this easier, but it didn't. A faint unease settled in her chest.
It meant this wasn’t something he understood or something he could handle. And if she was going to untangle this, to figure out what was really going on, she would have to do it without him.
“We could go to Dream Falls,” she said, changing the topic, the suggestion coming out softer than she intended.
Isaac perked up right away, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Yeah. I wanted to check it out.”
“Then we should.” Kara smiled, or close enough to pass as one. A small act of grace because he didn’t need to see what was sitting underneath it.