“There isn’t,” Wren snaps, too quickly. “This is circumstantial?—”
“We also have testimony, confessions,” Kurt continues. “And corroborating evidence that Mr. Varga attempted to influence council decisions regarding The Hollow through intimidation and coordinated reporting.”
The silence that follows feels different.
People are thinking now. Reconsidering.
Mayor Hartwell’s posture changes, subtle but unmistakable. “If this council has acted on compromised information,” she says carefully, “that will be addressed immediately.”
Wren’s control slips another fraction.
Judge McDowell folds her hands. “Given the evidence presented, I suggest you choose your next words carefully, Mr. Wren.”
The room tightens around him.
“All motions regarding The Hollow are suspended pending full review while this investigation proceeds,” she adds.
Wren looks at me then, really looks. The confidence is gone. What’s left is fear.
Good.
He should’ve understood what he was involving himself in.
Cole was never a man you direct; he was something you survive… if you’re lucky.
We step out into the hallway, the noise of the chamber fading behind us.
Zane rolls his shoulders once. “That’s enough.”
“For now,” I say.
Finn drags a hand through his hair. “I’ll take it.”
I don’t realize I’ve been holding my breath until it finally lets go.
Air fills my lungs in a way that feels unfamiliar.
I didn’t lose control in there, didn’t let it turn into something else, no bodies, no fire, no damage I can’t contain.
The Hollow is still standing.
The town is still standing.
And she’s still here.
That last one lands deeper than the rest.
For the first time in a long time, I held the line instead of watching it break. I didn’t just survive this—I protected it. And somewhere in that, whether I planned it or not, I chose what comes next.
By the time we get back, The Hollow has settled into its usual rhythm.
Music hums low through the space. The kind of sound that hangs around instead of pushes. People stay because they want to, not because there’s nowhere else to go.
I step inside and let it settle around me.
Aurora heads for the bar, light catching in her hair, her smile softer than it used to be but real in a way that matters more. There’s a steadiness in her now that didn’t exist before all of this.
I move closer to her and wait for her to finish the drink Arlo has given her.
