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“If they were keeping your brother there, wouldn’t it be more heavily guarded?” he asked, voicing only part of his suspicions.

“Perhaps not,” Leila replied, though he could hear the uncertainty threading through her voice. “Not for one adolescent boy. They wouldn’t expect anyone to come for him.”

Or it’s a trap, he thought grimly. Instead, he waited, watching Leila carefully. If this entire expedition was orchestrated by her to lead him into an ambush, she would likely suggest the approach, guiding him toward whatever killing ground had been prepared.

But she remained silent, staring at the building with what seemed to be genuine anxiety.

Interesting.

“Let’s circle the building and see if there’s an easy entry point,” Gideon finally said, deciding to test her further.

“Very well. I can circle from the right, and you go left—” she began, but Gideon cut her off.

“No. I am not taking my eyes off you.”

She didn’t protest, though he caught a flash of what might have been annoyance in her dark eyes.

They moved together along the perimeter of the building, and Gideon’s unease deepened when they easily found a point of entry on the ground floor. A window with a broken latch, concealed enough to avoid casual observation yet accessible for someone who knew where to look.

An unguarded house with easy access, despite being in a remote area. Nothing about this felt right.

Every instinct screamed that this was not the place where her brother was kept. If such a brother even existed. If Leila wasn’t simply another weapon in the Cardinal’s arsenal, aimed directly at his heart.

“Will you allow us to split up now?” she whispered once they’d made their way through the broken window and into the dark, empty corridor beyond.

The building’s interior matched its exterior—abandoned, decaying, stripped of anything valuable. The floorboards creaked ominously under their weight, and the air smelled of dust and neglect.

“Not even for a moment,” he grumbled, positioning himself to keep an eye on both her and their surroundings.

They moved through the ground floor methodically, exploring three empty rooms devoid of furniture, decorations, or even wallpaper. Just bare walls and dust motes danced in the pale light filtering through grimy windows.

As Leila stepped toward the fourth room, Gideon caught sight of movement outside—a shadow falling across the broken window through which they had entered. One of the guards was approaching the house.

Gideon grabbed Leila by the arm and pulled her back against the wall, pressing them both into the shadow cast by a support beam. His body covered hers protectively, and he could feel her heart hammering against his chest like a trapped bird.

She was genuinely terrified.

The guard took a few steps into the corridor, then paused, making a curious noise as if he hadn’t found what he expected. Whatever it was, he apparently decided it wasn’t worth investigating further. His footsteps retreated, and Gideon heard the outer door creak shut behind him.

When the danger had passed, Gideon released Leila, and she immediately slumped against the wall as if her legs could no longer support her. Her face was pale, her breathing rapid and shallow.

“You seem relieved we didn’t get caught,” he said, allowing a suspicious tone to seep into his words.

“You thought I wanted that?” She frowned, her expression genuinely offended by the suggestion. But Gideon had learned not to trust appearances where Leila was concerned.

“I truly don’t know what you want.”

She let out a short breath, something between a snort and a laugh. “I see. You still don’t trust me.”

“Have you given me a reason to?” There was no pause for her to answer. Instead, he said, “Let’s go.”

He led her toward the back of the building, where they discovered a wide foyer dominated by a rickety old stairwell leading to the upper floors. The stairs looked like they might collapse under any significant weight, but Gideon doubted there was anything worth finding in the rooms above anyway.

But behind the stairwell, partially concealed by shadow and debris, there was something far more intriguing: a trapdoor set into the floor, secured with a heavy lock that appeared newer and more substantial than anything else in this supposedly abandoned building.

Now that’s more promising.

Gideon glanced at Leila’s carefully braided hair. “Do you happen to have a hairpin?”