At first Julia thought it was medical equipment. A brace. A strap. Something that would make sense. It was a phone charger. The woman unwound the cable with quick, practiced movements, then glanced around the room. Her eyes tracked the walls like she was mapping outlets. She walked toward the lamp near the couch, checked behind it.
No good. She pivoted toward the bookshelf, leaned down, then straightened again, annoyed. Marcus’s fingers tightened on his armrests. His head followed her, alert in a way Julia hadn’t seen in months. The woman moved toward the corner by the TV stand, toward the small cluster of cords and the router Julia had tucked out of sight.