Page 98 of Ensnared

Butnot three.

Atleast they’re set up to record remotely, so we should still have the data up until the point they broke down.Orwere cut off.

Jaykobgrunts a curse and tension bunchesJasper’sshoulders. “Theywere up this morning.Ionly paused long enough for one game of chess.One.ButIwas still catching up on footage from the night before.”

Frustrationticks over me, butIforce it down, reminding myself that he wasn’t trained for this.He’sonly one man and we have over thirty cameras in operation.There’sno way he can monitor them all twenty-four seven—his focus was on the main threat to the south, and even keeping up with that seems to have run him down to exhaustion.Damnit,Iwish he’d spoken up sooner.

“Goback three days,”Iorder.

Amoment later, all screens show an image.Ittakes some fiddling, but we manage to pinpoint when the cameras cut out.Firstthe northernmost, then the other two, each one progressively closer toBristlebrook.Thereare no shots of any of the men, the cameras simply cut out, but in the footage from the second camera, just before it shuts off, there are four tall shadows cast against the small patch of grass.

Thesemen are coming from the north.Notthe south.Fourmen, connected with the group that had chasedEden.Connectedwith the menBeauandIburied two days later.

Buthow do they know about our cameras?

“Pullup the southern cameras.”

Beauenters the room without knocking and no one flinches.There’sno way anyone can get in this room without the code—getting past the wall panel in the bookcase is tricky enough.Iraise a brow, and he gives me a small nod, though the cool distance in his eyes has something stinging my gut.Ourargument the other day still isn’t sitting right with me.

Buthe’s asking too much.

Icut my eyes back to the center screen as it changes to a view of a small stream.Atthe rightmost side of the frame, just in view, is the edge of a large camp.Twomen are visible, facing away from the stream and into the woods, talking and laughing raucously.Ican make out the snake tattoo on the rightmost man’s hand where he’s turned toward the camera.There’sno sound, butIwould lay money that there are more of them in that camp.

“I’vebeen monitoring this group since we last spoke.Theyhaven’t moved.Theyseem to spend most of their time in their camp, but every now and then they duck out like this,”Jaspersays.

“Couldthey be leaving the camp without this camera catching them?”Beauasks, peering at the screen with a slight frown.

“Theycould,”Jasperadmits. “However, the cameras on five and seven would likely catch them if they were to move towardBristlebrook.Andone of the cameras on two, four, or six would likely catch them if they were to move north.Therehas been no sign of any activity on any of these cameras.It’simpossible to know for sure, of course, but we placed them carefully.Anyother route would be incredibly difficult for them to traverse.”

“Andnone of the southern cameras are down?”Luckyasks worriedly.

Jasperdoesn’t reply, but the screens flicker as he runs through all the southern cameras.Allshow varying images of dense, dark woods.

Wewatch the cameras for a moment asIthink.Howdid they know where the cameras were?They’reconcealed.Noteasy to stumble on.

Andhow are they heading in a direct line forBristlebrook?

“Bullshit,”Jaykgrowls. “Maybethey got themselves equipment good enough to sense our gear.Maybe.Butthey don’t have a fucking invisibility cloak.Noway they don’t show on any one of the cameras before they cut the feed.Theyknew where they were.Andthey knew the tech well enough to stop it tripping our sensors.”

LuckyexaminesJaykwith a sudden half-grin. “Wasthat aHarryPotterreference?”

Jaykscowls. “Ihad a childhood too, you know.”

“Didyou identify with the basilisk?”Luckyasks seriously.

Ignoringthem,Beauedges toward the screens. “Sothey knew where the cameras were but, what?Exceptfor one?”

Hegrimaces dubiously.

JaykflipsLuckyoff and then shrugs. “Thelive one isC30—we only installed that one last fall.Couldbe working off old intel.”

“Butwho even knew about the cameras except us?”Beauquestions. “Ourold group knew we were installing them before they left, but they didn’t see where we put them.Onlywe knew their locations.”

Jasperturns his chair, and he studies me, chin on his fingers.Ifight to keep every muscle from locking up.Iknow what he’s thinking.I’mthinking it too.

Ishake my head once. “That’snot it.”

“HeatherandThomasknew,”Jaspersays, silk over steel.

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