Chapter 10 - Shadows in the Pines
The small town of Boone, North Carolina, was nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering a sanctuary of quiet streets, friendly locals, and crisp autumn air.
Hannah zipped up her fleece jacket as she walked out of the local post office, a small stack of mail tucked under her arm. The town square was bustling with early autumn shoppers, the scent of apple cider and woodsmoke hanging heavy in the breeze.
As she unlocked her SUV, a sleek, dark gray sedan parked three spaces down caught her eye.
It was idling. The tinted windows were rolled up tight, but the faint, rhythmic thrum of a high-performance engine vibrated through the asphalt.
Hannah paused, her hand sliding instinctively toward the small tactical blade she kept clipped inside her pocket. She memorized the license plate—Virginia tags, slightly weathered around the edges—before opening her car door and tossing her mail onto the passenger seat.
She didn't immediately start the engine. Instead, she adjusted her rearview mirror, keeping her eyes locked on the gray sedan.
Two minutes passed. The sedan didn't move.
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Slowly, Hannah put her SUV in reverse, backed out of the space, and drove toward the winding mountain road leading back to the cabin. In her mirror, she watched the gray sedan pull out a safe distance behind her, maintaining a calculated, deliberate two-car gap.
Someone was tailing her. Elena Rostova’s syndicate wasn't finished after all.
