I stand at the back with Zane on my left and Finn on my right. We don’t take seats. We don’t blend in. We hold the space we walked into, make it clear we’re part of this, whether anyone likes it or not.
Wren continues, “…concerns raised by multiple parties regarding the ownership of The Hollow and its connection to?—”
“Name them.”
My voice cuts through his sentence without effort.
He stops, turning slowly. He expected me to step in eventually. There’s a satisfied smugness in his expression—this is unfolding exactly the way he planned.
“Mr. Callahan,” he says, polite on the surface. “It’s my turn to talk.”
I hold his gaze. “Name them.”
There’s a brief pause while he decides how to play it.
Then that smile.
“Sources prefer to remain confidential.”
Of course they do.
The old instinct rises fast. The urge to end this the way I used to, quick and final, without needing a room full of witnesses or a council vote.
It would be easy, but easy isn’t what I built this place for.
Before I answer, another voice cuts through the room. “Then I’ll help with that.”
Deputy Kurt Morgan steps forward with two officers behind him, a file in his hand. There’s no performance in him this time. No trying to look bigger than he is.
About time.
Wren stiffens.
Judge McDowell shifts her attention. “Deputy?”
Kurt opens the file, glances down once, then looks up at the room.
“We’ve been reviewing the complaints filed against The Hollow over the past several weeks,” he says. “Several of them raised red flags.”
The room quiets.
“They all trace back to one consistent source.” He doesn’t drag it out. “Cole Varga, a man currently in custody?—”
Wren recovers quickly. “This is a misinterpretation?—”
“It’s a pattern,” Kurt says, firmer now. “We’ve connected Mr. Varga to multiple incidents. Property damage. Intimidation. Attempted interference with local businesses.”
He flips a page.
“The broken window at The Hollow. The fire behind the building. Reports of surveillance and harassment.”
Another page.
“Financial transfers routed through third parties tied to local interests.” His gaze lifts and lands directly on Wren. “Those transactions connect to land acquisition efforts involving this property.”
That shifts the room.
Mayor Hartwell straightens. “Benjamin… is there any truth to this?”
