Cassian listened to her in silence, his eyes thoughtful. Then he said, "They've got other people working with them." Natalie nodded right away. "Yeah. I'm sure of it." Those two were just the bait. They lured people in, captured them, then handed them off to someone else. There had to be a crew outside helping them finish the job. Anthony had disappeared last night. He wasn't in the inn, and that couple hadn't had time to move a body. So there was no question—they had partners outside. After talking it through, they made a plan. Cassian would stay out of sight. The longer he hid, the more anxious the couple would get, and the faster they'd slip up. They were safe in the RV anyway. Even if something crazy happened, like a fire, Natalie could store the whole thing inside her storage space and vanish in seconds. The afternoon dragged by, quiet as a grave. Then evening came, and a heavy smell filled the air. Rich, greasy meat, thick enough to turn a stomach. Soon there was a knock at the door. The innkeeper's wife called sweetly, "Honey, dinner's ready! We made meat with barbecue sauce! Come on down and eat! It's on the house!" She paused for a beat, then added in a sing-song voice, "I heard your boyfriend honey-glazed ham! I made plenty for him!" Natalie and Cassian exchanged a look. Sausages were one thing, but ham? Where the hell did that come from? There wasn't even a working fridge in the whole place. Natalie whispered, "I'll check it out." Cassian nodded. "Be careful."He hesitated, then said, "Take Lucky with you." Natalie agreed. "Yeah." Cash and Baron edged closer, eyes bright with curiosity. Natalie gave a small nod. "You can come too." It wasn't a stealth mission anyway. If anything happened, those two could handle it. The woman outside knocked again, her tone sharper this time. "Sweetheart?" Natalie didn't move to open the door. Her voice cut through the air. "Didn't I tell you not to come bothering us again? You don't get what that means?" The innkeeper's wife laughed awkwardly. "Oh come on! This is different! I just thought of you when I was cooking. It'd be wrong to eat without you!" The room went silent. The woman hesitated, unsure if she should keep knocking or give up. Then Natalie spoke again, her tone cool. "Fine. Just this once." "Oh, perfect!" the woman said quickly. "So you'll come down?" Natalie's answer was flat. "Later. You go first." "Alright!" she chirped. Then her footsteps faded down the hall, cheerful and fake. Natalie didn't rush. She and Cassian kept eating their own dinner. Fried meat. Chili chicken. Caesar salad. Spicy sauteed greens. Tomato and mushroom soup. Balanced, warm, and safe. Way better than whatever mystery meat that woman had cooked. When they were done, Natalie finally got up and headed downstairs with Lucky, Cash, and Baron. Downstairs, the other four guests sat at the table, stiff and waiting. No one had started eating.The innkeeper's stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear. The moment he heard the floorboards creak, he grabbed his fork. "Finally! Let's eat!" His wife plastered on a smile and smoothed her hair. "Well, look who decided to join us!" Her eyes darted behind Natalie. A chubby dog that looked like a pig. A rabbit that stood like a kid. A strange bird fluffed up like a rooster. That was it. The woman's smile faltered. "Where's your boyfriend?" Natalie looked bored. "Still in the room." The woman's laugh came out thin. "He's not coming down for dinner?" Natalie waved a hand. "He's not feeling great. Doesn't want anything greasy." Not greasy? The innkeeper's wife glanced at the steaming pot of ham. Her jaw clenched. This girl had said earlier that her boyfriend loved ham. Now it was too oily?What kind of nonsense is that? Natalie caught the flicker of annoyance in her face and almost laughed. Yeah, choke on that. Then she looked at Selina and Guinevere and asked with a teasing edge, "Why? You seem really eager to see my boyfriend." Both women turned toward the innkeeper's wife. The woman had jumped up so fast her chair scraped against the floor. Selina frowned, confusion flickering in her eyes.The wife let out a dry laugh and sat back down. "Of course not!" "Oh really?" Natalie tilted her head. "You've brought him up so many times today, I figured you were crushing on him." She smiled, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Can't blame you though. My man's got that effect on people. But you're married, honey. Maybe pay attention to your own husband instead of mine." For a second, the woman's polite smile cracked. She hadn't expected Natalie to throw it right back at her. Most women would've kept it subtle, but not this one. Natalie didn't leave her even a shred of dignity to hold onto.