CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO—A Familiar Stranger
Elena felt the cold press against the windowglass as the man stepped out of the black SUV. The sight of him hit her like a memory she never wanted to revisit. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, like someone arriving for a friendly visit instead of a quiet confrontation in the middle of nowhere. His coat was still the same dark color he always preferred, and his expression carried the same calm confidence she once admired.
Daniel's former best friend.
The man she once believed was loyal.
The man her fiancé trusted enough to call a brother.
The man in the photograph standing beside Daniel on the night everything went wrong.
Elena's breath trembled.
Andrew stepped slightly in front of her. Caleb instinctively shifted to her other side. She felt so small between them, but their presence kept her from collapsing under the weight of recognition.
Andrew whispered, "Let me handle the opening. Whatever he says, do not go near him."
Elena nodded, though her heart felt like it was vibrating in her chest.
There was a firm knock on the cabin door.
Three calm knocks.
Andrew did not open it immediately. He breathed once, steadying himself, then pulled the door open just enough to meet the man's eyes.
The man smiled warmly. "Andrew. I wondered if you were still following me."
Andrew's jaw tightened. "You are not welcome here."
Elena watched from behind Andrew's shoulder. The man's eyes flicked past Andrew and landed on her.
The smile widened.
"Elena. It has been too long. I wish it were under better circumstances."
Hearing her name in his voice felt like a knife. Everything about him was familiar, yet wrong. It felt as if the version of him she remembered had been peeled away, leaving something colder beneath the surface.
Caleb stepped forward. "State your business and go."
The man looked at Caleb with polite curiosity, as if studying a piece of art he had not expected to find.
"So this is the man who has been keeping her company," he said gently. "Interesting."
Elena found her voice, though it shook. "Why are you here?"
He sighed softly, a practiced sound of sorrow. "Because you deserve the truth, Elena. I came to explain what Daniel could not."
Andrew laughed under his breath, bitter and humorless. "Truth is the last thing you know how to offer."
The man's expression barely changed, but his eyes sharpened for the briefest moment. Then the softness returned, artificial yet convincing.
"Elena," he said, focusing on her again, "I can see how frightened you are. But trust me when I tell you that you are safer with me than with these men."
Caleb took a half step forward, instinctively protective. "You are not taking her anywhere."
The man's voice remained calm. "You think you know what this is about, but you do not. Elena, Daniel would never have wanted you to be dragged into conspiracies that were never yours to carry. Daniel trusted me with things he never told you."
Elena felt those words like a blow to her ribs. Daniel never told her everything. She always knew that. But hearing it from his betrayer made the truth feel poisoned.
"What did he tell you?" she asked quietly.
Andrew shot her a warning glance, but the question was already out. She needed to hear it. She needed to know.
The man folded his hands behind his back, the way he did when he was about to give a speech. "Daniel came to me the week before he died. He was scared, but he was trying to be brave for you. He discovered something he believed would destroy too many lives if it came out. He wanted me to help him fix it quietly." His eyes softened. "Elena, I tried."
Caleb muttered under his breath, "Liar."
The man continued, unfazed. "Daniel knew he was being watched. He knew his time was running out. He made me promise to find you if anything happened, to keep you safe."
Elena felt the sting of tears, not because she believed him, but because he spoke Daniel's name like he owned it.
Andrew stepped further into the doorway, blocking the man's view of Elena. "You do not get to rewrite what happened. Daniel did not trust you. He suspected you. He told me himself the night he confronted you."
The man's pleasant expression finally cracked.
A small change.
But Elena saw it.
A tightening around the eyes. A shift in his jaw.
A flash of irritation he could not hide.
"You were always a problem," he said to Andrew, voice still calm but colder. "Always listening where you did not belong."
Caleb moved to Elena's side, sensing the shift in atmosphere.
The man took a slow breath, smoothing his expression again. "Elena, you can come with me willingly, or I can involve people who will be less gentle about it. I am giving you an opportunity. Daniel wanted you protected. I intend to honor that."
Elena felt something inside her snap.
For months she had carried grief like a second heartbeat. She had cried until she felt drained. She had questioned herself, doubted herself, blamed herself. But now, with this man standing in front of her speaking Daniel's name as if he had loved him, something hardened inside her.
She stepped forward before Caleb could stop her.
"Do not use Daniel as a shield for your lies," she said, her voice low but steady. "He is dead because of secrets you helped create."
His eyes flicked with irritation again. "Elena, you are emotional. You are not thinking clearly."
She took one more step. "I am thinking more clearly than ever."
The man adjusted his coat calmly, as if preparing for the next phase of the conversation. "Very well," he said quietly. "If you will not come with me now, then I will return. And next time, I will not come alone."
He turned to leave.
Caleb let out a breath he had been holding. Andrew slowly lowered his tense shoulders. Elena felt her knees weaken with the release of pressure.
But just as the man reached the SUV, he paused.
He turned his head slightly, his voice carrying across the clearing.
"Elena," he said. "You might want to ask Andrew about what Daniel found. Ask him why he never told you the other half."
Then he got into the SUV, closed the door, and drove away, leaving the sound of the engine echoing through the trees.
Andrew froze.
Caleb straightened slowly.
Elena felt her heartbeat stop for one suspended moment.
She looked at Andrew.
"Andrew," she whispered, "what is he talking about?"
Andrew did not answer.
And that silence was louder than any confession