"You never will be. That's what Copper Moon does. It takes care of its own." Bree smiled. "And you're one of us now, whether you planned on it or not."
The words settled into Tessa's chest, warm and solid. One of us. She'd come here as a stranger, a woman running from her past, looking for a place to hide. Instead, she'd found a home. A community. A family.
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She glanced at the screen, expecting Diaz, but the number was unfamiliar again. The same local area code as before.
Her blood went cold.
"Don't answer it," Bree said sharply. "Let it go to voicemail."
But Tessa was already reaching for the phone. She needed to know. Needed to hear whatever Carla had to say, if only to understand what they were dealing with.
"Hello?"
"Did you enjoy watching your boyfriend play hero?" Carla's voice was ice. "I was there, you know. On the corner. Watching him pull that woman from the wreck. He's good. I'll give him that."
Tessa's hand tightened on the phone. "You were there."
"I'm always there, Dr. Callahan. That's what you don't seem to understand. I'm everywhere. I see everything. Your morning runs. Your trips to the coffee shop. Your cozy dinners with your new friends." A pause. "Your boyfriend's heroics won't save you. Nothing will."
"The police are going to find you." Tessa kept her voice steady through sheer force of will. "They're looking everywhere. You can't hide forever."
"I'm not hiding." Carla laughed, and it was the most chilling sound Tessa had ever heard. "I'm waiting. There's a difference. When the time is right, you'll know. And by then, it'll be too late."
The line went dead.
Tessa lowered the phone slowly. Her hand was shaking.
"What did she say?" Bree's voice was tight with concern.
"She was at the accident. Watching." Tessa looked up; met Bree's eyes. "She's been watching everything. She knows our routines, our friends, our movements. She's not hiding. She's waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"I don't know." Tessa's voice dropped to a whisper. "But whatever it is, she thinks she's already won."
Brian appeared in the hallway, wet hair dripping onto a clean shirt, his expression shifting from relaxed to alert as he took in their faces.
"What happened?"
"Carla called again." Tessa stood, her legs unsteady. "She was at the accident, Brian. She watched the whole thing. She's been watching us this entire time, and the police can't find her because she's not hiding. She's right here, in plain sight, and we can't see her."
Brian crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. "Then we change the game."
"How?"
"I don't know yet." His jaw was set, his eyes hard. "But she's not the only one who can watch and wait. We've got Diaz, we've got the whole town, and we've got each other. Carla Reeves thinks she's in control? We're going to show her she's wrong."
Tessa pressed her face against his chest, breathing in the clean scent of soap and the solid warmth of him. He was right. They couldn't keep playing defense. Couldn't keep waiting for Carla to make her move.
It was time to fight back.
"Call Diaz," she said. "Tell her about the call. Tell her Carla was at the accident scene."
"Already on it." Brian pulled out his phone with one hand, keeping the other arm around her. "And then we're going to sit down with Hank and Colby and figure out a plan. A real plan. No more waiting."
Bree stood, her expression fierce. "I'll call Sabrina. She'll want to be part of this."
"Part of what?" Tessa asked.
