Chapter 122

• Julian did not like leaving the package on the table. I could see it in the way his hand kept drifting toward it, as if he wanted to move it out of sight, maybe into the back room, maybe out of the boutique altogether. But I did not want it hidden. Not yet.
• Simone noticed the shift in the air before she noticed the photograph itself. She paused mid-fold and looked toward us, her brow knitting in quiet question. I shook my head lightly, the kind of small movement that said, not now. She respected that and went back to her work, though I could feel her eyes on me now and then.
• Julian leaned in a little, his voice just above a whisper. “If it’s bait, they’re trying to see how fast you’ll move. If it’s a warning, they’re telling you something’s already in motion.”