The faint crunch of footsteps outside froze the room. Caleb’s flashlight flicked toward the door, his gun steady in his hand. He glanced at Evelyn, who had already moved to the far wall, her knife ready. Carter, leaning against the table with maddening calm, slid his pistol from its holster.
“How many?” Caleb whispered.
Evelyn tilted her head slightly, listening. “Four. Maybe five.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Evelyn replied.
“Guess the welcoming committee finally showed up,” Carter said, his voice low but laced with amusement.
Caleb ignored him, his mind racing. He moved closer to the window, peering through the crack in the wooden boards. His flashlight stayed off, his eyes adjusting to the moonlight filtering in. He could see faint movement at the edge of the tree line—three figures, cloaked in shadow, spreading out around the safe house.
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“They’re surrounding us,” Caleb murmured, his tone sharp. “Classic pincer formation. Two on the east side, one on the west, and… there’s probably another pair hanging back, covering their escape route.”
Carter raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself. “Look at you. Guess you’re not just a pretty face after all.”
Caleb shot him a glare but didn’t take the bait. “They’re cutting off our options. We can’t stay here.”
Evelyn nodded, her grip on her knife tightening. “We’ll have to fight our way out.”
“Or,” Caleb said, his tone deliberate, “we make them think we already left.”
The suggestion hung in the air for a moment, and Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. “You’re thinking misdirection?”
“Exactly,” Caleb said. “We use the cabin itself to confuse them. Make them think we slipped out through the west side while we double back through the east.”
“And what happens when we run straight into the pair hanging back?” Carter asked, his smirk faint but skeptical.
“That’s where you come in,” Caleb said, his tone pointed.
Carter chuckled softly. “You’re giving me the hard job?”
“You want to earn your keep, don’t you?” Caleb shot back.
Evelyn’s lips twitched faintly, like she was holding back a smirk. “Not bad, Detective.”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Caleb muttered.