The stranger's words lingered in the cold forest air.
"I was the first person Gale ever betrayed."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Even the sounds of battle from the mansion seemed distant now, muffled by the thick trees surrounding the clearing. The night had grown darker, and the faint glow of flames from broken windows in the estate flickered through the forest like warning signals.
Vanessa didn't lower her gun.
But her attention had shifted.
Not entirely to the stranger.
Part of her focus remained on Gale.
She had spent months learning how to read people. It was a skill every detective relied on—small changes in expression, posture, breathing. Those things revealed more than words ever could.
Right now, Gale looked exactly the same as he always did.
Calm.
Controlled.
But Vanessa had already learned something about him tonight.
When he said nothing, it meant the truth was close.
