“I’m here to give you a heads up,” I say, a threat wrapped in a warning. “There’s a storm brewing. A man named Cole Varga’s been asking around. He’s digging into my past, asking questions. And when he gets curious, bad things follow.”
Kurt’s eyes widen, but he quickly masks it, trying to regain the upper hand. He sucks in a breath, showing me he’s got this under control.
“I can handle this, Ryder. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve got connections in town. We can handle whatever comes through here. Just give me all the details.”
I don’t hide the laugh that escapes me. It’s cold, the kind of laugh that cuts through the air.
“Really?” I ask, taking a step closer to him. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re barely holding things together with a smile and some poorly pressed pants.”
Kurt flinches, but I don’t let up. This guy needs to understand what he’s dealing with. He’s not dealing with just any old small-town trouble. He’s dealing with things that could turn this place upside down.
“I’m telling you this because I’m not interested in the town getting caught in the middle of something it can’t handle. If Varga’s sniffing around, it means he’s not far from making a move. I’m keeping my people in line, but I need you to do the same with the rest of the town.”
Kurt opens his mouth, then closes it, trying to find his footing
“Look, I’ve got the law on my side, okay? People around here trust me.” He’s still trying to sound confident, the man in charge, but I can see the cracks forming. “I’ll make sure nothing gets out of hand.”
I don’t need to say anything else. I just stare at him, letting the silence hang, heavy and uncomfortable.
Finally, Kurt lowers his gaze.
“Fine,” he mutters. “I’ll keep an eye out. But you’ve gotta know that if things start getting ugly, it won’t just be me. The whole town's gonna be involved. They won’t just roll over.”
I almost laugh again, but I hold it back.
“Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it. For now, just… don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Kurt nods. He’s not happy about it, but he’s not stupid enough to argue. He understands what I’m saying. It’s clear now, he’s out of his depth. But he’ll try to play it as if he’s not.
“Anything else?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“Just keep your eyes open, Kurt. Don’t let anyone get too comfortable. And don’t pretend you’ve got this under control when you don’t.”
I turn on my heel and head back toward my truck, the sound of my boots loud against the quiet pavement. I don’t look back. Kurt’s not worth the effort. He’s a small-town deputy in way over his head, trying to put on a show. But he’s not the one I’m worried about.
I pull out of the sheriff’s office and drive through the winding streets of Coyote Glen, my mind still on the conversation with Kurt. He’s a lot of talk and not much action, but he’s all this town has.
And right now, that’s not reassuring.
I stop at the diner, the same place I always grab breakfast if I’m in the area. The neon sign flickers against the gray morning, casting a pale light over the deserted lot. I’ve been around long enough to know that when someone’s trying to stay low, they do it in plain sight, hiding in the open where no one expects it.
I pull the truck into a space and kill the engine. I don’t expect much, but what I see makes my blood run cold.
There he is. Cole Varga.
Standing on the sidewalk across the street, leaning against a post, waiting for something. His eyes are trained on The Hollow, that smirk of his playing at the edge of his lips. He’s not coming in. He’s watching, studying. Testing the waters. Trying to provoke.
I sit in the truck for a long beat, my hands gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white. I don’t move. I don’t let him see me.
He’s waiting. I know exactly what he’s doing.
Cole's game is pressure, fear, isolation, and then a strike when you’re weak enough to fall. He’s no fool. He doesn’t want to make a move yet. He’s trying to rattle me, to get under my skin, force me to show my cards.
That’s how he operates. He won’t act unless he’s sure he can win. And the more I show him I’m rattled, the better chance he’s got of making his next move.
But I can’t let him have that. Not this time.
