He hung up. Stood there for a moment, staring at the phone in his hand like it might bite him.
"Brian." I kept my voice steady. "What happened?"
He looked at me. And I saw something I rarely saw in him.
Fear.
"Shane got a call tonight. Unknown number, blocked caller ID." Brian's jaw tightened. "Someone warning him to back off the Lang investigation."
"Warning him how?"
"They knew Zoe's name." His voice went rough. "They know what school she goes to."
The kitchen suddenly felt too small. Not enough air.
"Zoe," I whispered. "They threatened his daughter."
Brian ran a hand through his hair. He took a breath. When he looked at me again, some of the fear had hardened into something else.
"We'll figure it out," he said. "We're not backing down. Shane's not backing down. We just need to be more careful."
I nodded. But the fear had settled in, cold and heavy.
The Langs were pushing back. And they were going after everyone.
The next two days were a blur of threats.
Garrett's tires were slashed in the firehouse parking lot. Someone had carvedSTAY OUT OF ITinto the driver's side door. He'd found it after a twenty-four-hour shift, standing in the parking lot in the gray dawn light, staring at the words—like they might rearrange themselves into something less threatening.
Then it was Maya.
A man had approached her in the school parking lot. Waited by her car. Knew her name, Shane’s name, even about their foster application. Told her to remind her husband to back off if they wanted their application to go through.
"She recorded the conversation," Brian said. "We’ve already sent it to Sloane. Evidence of witness intimidation."
"They went after her at her school." My voice came out thin. Too thin. "Where she works. Where there are children."
"I know."
"Brian, this is—" I pressed my hands against my eyes. "Shane. Zoe. Garrett. Maya. They're going after everyone because of me."
"Hey." He crossed the kitchen, pulled my hands down, and held them in his. "This isn't your fault. The Langs are the ones making threats. You reported a crime. That's it."
"But if I hadn't?—"
"Then Derek Edwards stays dead and forgotten, and his family never gets answers." His grip tightened. "The crew doesn't want you to back down, Ava. Shane doesn't. Maya doesn't. Garrett doesn't."
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe all of them.
But the fear had settled in, cold and heavy.
Three incidents in three days. A clear pattern.
And I couldn't shake the feeling that worse was coming.
I called my father while I was alone at home. Brian was on shift.
He answered on the second ring. "Ava. I was about to call you."
