Page 87 of Hidden Memories

There’s an eerie finality knowing my father will never speak to me again. Knowing I just proved him right—in the end, I have caused the demise of Pacific Dreams just as he thought I was doing when I moved.

Then, from across the yard?—

“Keeper! Wait up!”

Theo’s voice cuts through the static in my brain, snapping me back into the present. I turn just in time to see him mid-run, his body vibrating with laughter as Keeper barrels ahead, tongue lolling. The sight cracks something open inside me.

This is what matters. Not the ghosts of the past, not the weight of a stolen future.Theois my future. His joy, his freedom, his chance at something better than I ever had.

Come hell or high water, that future will be bright.

Julia kneels in one of the garden beds, her gloved hands tugging at weeds. She glances up as I approach, brushing a strand of hair out of her face with her forearm.

Sweat glistens on her brow. “How’d it go with Callum and the others?”

“A lot to process.” I glance over to a tree at the far perimeter of Julia’s backyard where Anton and Gabriel are engaged in a discussion with furrowed brows. “Gabriel and Anton are still here?”

Before going to Monarch Hills to hand the drives over, I decided to engage with Shadow Justice. Like Santi said, I can’t let pride get in the way of doing the right thing. I have Theo to think about, and we now live in Julia’s home.

Hiring Gabriel and Anton is something I don’t have money for, and I certainly don’t have any social credit I can use for a favor. But Julia does, and somehow, I get the feeling there won’t be a bill to pay at the end of this.

If Anton and Gabriel can use their stealthy skills to figure something out and watch over us, well, that’s a reality I need to accept.

When I left her behind with Theo, she asked me if it was all right for Gabriel and Anton to check the place. I handed over the key to the farmhouse, too.

I can’t say it was pure resignation over Anton and Gabriel being involved. When I met with them, they filled me with a sense of security and safety, like reinforcements coming into a war zone. I’d like to think I could knock anyone out, but that’s not reality, and having two extra men in addition to Santi watching over us? Three men built like brick walls at a time like this is a welcome fortress.

Julia pushes herself up to stand as if she has creaky knees. “The boys scoured the house; they’ve been checking the perimeter.” She sighs. “Gabriel’s got his theories. Enzo called them with information about the flash drives.”

As always, news travels fast in Echo Valley.

Just then, Gabriel’s sharp eyes flick to me, his expression unreadable, while Anton turns, his face softening justslightly when he sees me. They come over like two soldiers coming off the battlefield with bad news.

Theo throws a ball, and it almost hits Gabriel in the face but, without even looking for a moment of hesitation, he raises his hand and catches it. He offers Theo a simple nod and tosses it back to my son who is as surprised as I am by this man’s reflexes.

“Kat, how are you doing?” Anton asks.

There’s no quick answer to that question, but the guys must realize that because they don’t wait for one.

Gabriel is less chatty and more straight to the point. “You need to see this.”

My stomach knots as Anton holds up a small black device between his fingers.

“Hidden camera,” he says grimly. “We found three of these so far. One by the front gate, another near the porch, and this one here by the fence.”

My breath catches. “Cameras?”

Damn. Those got put up fast. It’s scary that whoever is watching me could be that efficient. That… stealthy. That… dangerous.

Gabriel replies. “There are probably more at Heritage.”

The ground beneath me wobbles. Cameras. Surveillance. This isn’t just about intimidation anymore—whoever’s after me has been gathering information, tracking our movements. My thoughts spiral to Theo, to the moments he’s spent outside playing, blissfully unaware of the unseen eyes on him.

Anton’s exterior is tough, but there’s a gentle nature about the way he delivers the blow. I see now that Ava was raised by this man. “I know it’s a lot to process. But the ’Ndrangheta, if Nic was doing business with them, it’s important you understand these people aren’t amateurs.”

Panic rises up my chest and I hope they can’t see it. I have to be strong.

Gabriel isn’t quite as soft. “If someone was able to place these cameras without being seen, that in and of itself is cause for alarm.”

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