Brian sat down beside Tessa, his own plate in hand. "How are you doing?"
"I don't know." She set down her fork, staring at the pancakes. "I keep thinking about Carla. We worked together for two years. She brought cupcakes to the nurses' station on birthdays. She stayed late when we were short-staffed. And the whole time, she was capable of this?"
"People hide things." Brian's voice was quiet. "We show the world what we want them to see. The rest stays buried until something brings it to the surface."
"What brought this to the surface was losing her job. Losing her identity." Tessa shook her head. "She was a good nurse. It was all she had. And when that was taken away, she needed someone to blame."
"That doesn't excuse what she's done."
"No. It doesn't." Tessa picked up her fork again. "But it helps me understand it. And maybe that's something."
They ate in silence for a while. Outside, the morning light was strengthening, burning off the mist that hung over the water. Through the kitchen window, Tessa could see the bay, the same copper-tinged water that had become so familiar over the past two months.
"I'm not leaving," she said suddenly.
Brian looked at her. "What?"
"Copper Moon. I'm not leaving." She met his eyes, then Hank's, then Bree's. "I came here to heal. To figure out who I am without the hospital, without the pressure, without the fear. And I've done that. I've found something here. Someone." She reached for Brian's hand. "I'm not going to let Carla Reeves or Marcus Webb or anyone else take that away from me."
"That's my girl," Brian said softly.
"Damn right," Bree added, raising her coffee mug in a mock toast. "Copper Moon keeps the people it wants. And it wants you."
Hank nodded, a rare smile breaking through his stoic expression. "Welcome to the family."
Tessa felt tears prick at her eyes, and for once, she didn't fight them. These people, this place, this impossible situation that had somehow led her to exactly where she needed to be. She'd come to Copper Moon running from her past. Now she was staying to build a future.
Whatever came next, she wouldn't face it alone.
Her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at it, expecting Diaz with an update, but the number was unfamiliar. Local area code.
She answered. "Hello?"
Silence. Then a woman's voice, calm and cold: "Did you find my gift, Dr. Callahan?"
Tessa's blood turned to ice. Brian saw her face change and was on his feet instantly, moving close enough to hear.
"Carla." Tessa forced her voice to stay steady. "The police are looking for you."
"I know. They won't find me. Not until I'm ready." A pause. "You took everything from me. My job. My purpose. My life. Now I'm going to take everything from you."
"I didn't take anything from you. Daniel Webb died because his injuries were too severe. I tried to save him."
"You tried." Carla's laugh was brittle, hollow. "The great Dr. Callahan tried. And when you failed, you walked away. You kept your job. Your reputation. Your life. While the rest of us paid the price."
"Carla, listen to me. This isn't going to end the way you think. You need help. Let me?—"
"I don't need your help." The cold voice sharpened into something ugly. "I need you to suffer. And you will. Every person you care about, every place you think is safe, I'm going to burn it all down. Just like you burned my life."
The line went dead.
Tessa lowered the phone slowly. Her hand was shaking.
"Call Diaz," Brian said. His voice was tight with barely controlled fury. "Now."
She nodded and dialed. As she waited for the sergeant to answer, she looked around the kitchen at the people who had become her family. Bree's face was pale but determined. Hank was already moving toward the door, checking locks, assessing vulnerabilities. Brian stood beside her like a wall, immovable.
Carla Reeves wanted to burn her life down.
