When the footsteps finally receded, Calder let out a long exhale. He wasn’t entirely relieved; he was recalculating. Evan watched him uneasily. Calder reacted like someone accustomed to being hunted, unsurprised by surveillance but annoyed by its timing. And he kept glancing at Evan strangely. Was it guilt?
Evan whispered, “Why are they leaving?” Calder didn’t hesitate. “Because they expect you to leave,” he said simply. “They only need you gone for a few hours.” Gone? For what? Evan felt the floor shift under him. Calder spoke as if he knew the men’s entire plan, like he’d lived it before.