Finally, she stopped in the middle of the street, turned to him. “So. What’s the plan?”

Kael raised an eyebrow. “You asking me? I thought you had everything figured out.”

Her lips twisted, a half-smile that was sharp enough to cut.

“I do,” she said. “But you owe me now.”

His gaze softened for a moment, but he didn’t back down. “Fair enough. What’s the game, then?”

Liana exhaled slowly. “Paul Winters is playing me like I’m a pawn. He’s underestimated me. Underestimated us.” She glanced at him, her eyes piercing through the sudden quiet. “But we both know the game isn’t over just because he makes the first move.”

“Then let’s make the next one,” Kael replied.

They were standing just outside the café now. She turned back to face him, determination lining her face. Her mind was already miles ahead.

“You’ve got connections. You’re not as quiet as you like to pretend,” she said. “We need information. About Paul. About his real interests in this town. Something to hold over his head.”

He nodded slowly. “We’ll start digging. But we need a plan to make him sweat. Something that’ll force him into a corner.”

Liana’s eyes narrowed with that fire he’d seen before—the one that made him think she’d burn the world to keep herself standing.

“And we’ll start with his money,” she said. “Everyone’s got skeletons. I bet his are expensive.”

They both knew the stakes now. It wasn’t about the house. It was about something deeper. Something personal. Power.

“I’ll handle the research,” Kael said. “You get the town to start asking questions.”

Liana shot him a sharp look. “You want me to be the distraction?”

“Exactly.” He smiled, that familiar edge to it. “You’re good at it.”

Her lips twitched. “I know. You’re not bad either, though.”

The compliment was brief. Almost an afterthought. But it was there. And it made something crackle between them, like the charge before a storm.

For a moment, everything felt like it was shifting. Not just because of Paul Winters. But because something else had settled between them—unspoken, but undeniable.

Kael turned to her, his tone suddenly serious.

“Liana… we’ll get through this. Whatever it takes.”

She met his gaze, her guard slipping for just a second. “I know.”