Hanover slams a fist on his desk. “It was to scare you. Listen, this is bigger than you. Bigger than me. Seriously, step away.”
“I can’t. I won’t.”
“You leave me now choice then.” He steps closer, and I back away. Hanover’s gaze darts again to the door—like he’s nervous, like he wants this over fast. “Fine. I’ll just have to relocate you now.”
The room tilts.
My skin goes cold. “What?”
Hanover’s tone stays mild, like he’s discussing weather. “You’ll disappear for a little while. A trip. A break. Somewhere you can’t make calls or ask questions.”
My throat closes. “No.”
Hanover swallows, sweat gleaming at his temple. “It doesn’t have to be violent. It’ll be easier if you cooperate.”
My mind scrambles.
Jack.
He’s outside my classroom. He’s always there.
Except… I came here without telling him.
Because I thought I was being brave.
Because I thought I was being smart.
Because I thought?—
The door slams open.
Hard.
So hard it bangs against the wall.
Hanover jerks forward.
And Jack fills the doorway like a storm given a body.
His eyes are dark—feral, furious, locked on me first, scanning me for injuries, then snapping to Hanover like he’s already a dead man walking.
“Step away from her,” Jack says. His voice is low and lethal.
Hanover recovers fast, lifting his hands a fraction. “Ah. The bodyguard.”
Jack doesn’t blink. “Now.”
Hanover’s face goes pale. “Jack, this is?—”
Jack takes one step in, and the air changes. And Hanover seems to shrink back instinctively. “You don’t want to do this here. In a school.”
Jack’s jaw flexes. “You’re the one who brought it here.”
Hanover’s eyes flick to the desk—toward the phone, toward the buttons on his keyboard like he might trigger an alarm.
Jack moves faster than I can track—one smooth, controlled motion that puts him between me and them. His hand stays at my back, firm and protective, like an anchor.
“Stella,” he murmurs, voice softer just for me. “Behind me.”
