CHAPTER 302

Elijah’s POV

The evening air in Durbuy was thick with tension. The outskirts of this quaint Belgian town, known for its picturesque beauty, had taken on a sinister edge under the twilight sky.

Towering trees cast long shadows across the narrow dirt roads, and the only sounds were the occasional rustle of leaves and the crunch of gravel under our boots. It was hard to believe that this idyllic landscape might be harboring the two people we’d been hunting for days: Henry and Julia.

I glanced at Joe, his face hard as stone. He was a veteran, a man who had seen more in his life than I could ever imagine, but even he seemed on edge tonight.

The local team we’d hired—six men, each as rough and ready as the next—moved with quiet efficiency, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement. Each of us was armed; we couldn’t afford to take any chances.

The farmhouse came into view, tucked away behind a line of thick hedges, its silhouette barely discernible against the darkening