Lara stood frozen, her hand still gripping the photograph, the image of the fourth man burning into her memory.
Kaven ran a hand through his hair, his expression a storm of frustration and disbelief. "What the hell was that? Who was he?"
Lara didn't respond. Her mind was spinning — the fourth man, Calden Rowe. The lake house. And Mr. Hartley.
Kaven paced in a circle, then stopped, facing her. "Do you trust Hartley?"
Lara looked at him, lips parted. "I... I don't know. I thought I did."
They stood in silence for a moment, the tension thick in the stale air of the warehouse.
Kaven took a breath. "We need to leave."
Lara nodded. "Yeah. But not back to town."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
She looked at him. "The lake house."
---
An hour later
The sky was beginning to darken as they pulled off the cracked road onto a narrow, winding path surrounded by trees. The GPS had gone silent twenty minutes ago. Now, the only sound was the crunch of gravel under the tires and the distant call of birds settling in for the night.
"This can't be the right place," Kaven muttered, squinting through the windshield. "There's nothing here."
But just then, they saw it — a gate, rusted and leaning to one side, almost swallowed by overgrown bushes.
Lara pointed. "There."
Kaven got out and pushed the gate open. It groaned like it hadn't moved in years.
They drove slowly up the winding path until an old wooden house appeared between the trees. It sat at the edge of a quiet lake, its surface still as glass under the deepening twilight.
The house looked abandoned. Its shutters hung loose, and the wood had faded to a grayish brown. But something about it still felt... watched.
They stepped out of the car.
"You ever been here?" Kaven asked.
Lara shook her head. "No. My mom never mentioned a lake house. I don't think my dad ever did either."
"Then why is your family's name on the title?" Kaven asked quietly.
They walked toward the porch. The wooden boards creaked under their steps.
Kaven tried the door.
Unlocked.
They stepped inside.
It smelled of dust and age — and something faintly metallic.
The air was cold.
"Lights?" Lara whispered.
Kaven flicked the switch.
Nothing.
He pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. The beam cut through the darkness, revealing a wide living room with old furniture, dusty bookshelves, and an ashtray on the table with a cigarette stub still in it.
"That's fresh," Kaven said, eyes narrowing.
Lara felt a chill run down her spine.
They moved deeper into the house. The floorplan was odd — almost maze-like, with narrow hallways and doors that led to more doors.
Finally, they found a study. The door was slightly ajar. Inside, the walls were lined with old filing cabinets and shelves full of labeled boxes.
Lara's gaze locked on a label: PROJECT RESONANCE – TERMINATED
She stepped closer, heart hammering. Kaven opened a drawer.
Inside were folders — dozens of them. Some were stamped TOP SECRET. Others bore unfamiliar logos — not from any company she knew.
"This is what they were hiding," he murmured.
Suddenly, the door creaked behind them.
Lara spun.
A figure stood in the doorway.
Not the old man.
Not Mr. Hartley.
A woman.
With sharp eyes, a badge clipped to her belt... and a gun in her hand.
"Step away from the drawer," she said firmly. "Now."
Kaven raised his hands. Lara froze.
The woman stepped into the room slowly.
"Agent Catherine Hale. Homeland Security," she said. "And you two just walked into something way above your heads."
Lara's mouth went dry. "You're a cop."
"I'm more than that," the woman said, voice calm. "And if you want to make it out of this mess alive… you're going to have to start telling me the truth."
Kaven looked at Lara. Then back at the woman.
"Then maybe," he said slowly, "you should start telling us yours."
---
End of chapter 15