“No unnecessary runs. No side bullshit. No drawing attention because you’re bored or think you’ve got something to prove. We keep the women close. We keep eyes open. And we don’t give anyone watching a reason to look harder.”
Cain nods. “I’ll adjust rotations. Keep it quiet.”
“Do it.”
Blaze leans forward. “You think this ties directly back to the case?”
“I think it doesn’t matter,” Logan says. “If someone thinks there’s something there, they’ll keep digging until they either find it or hit something that makes them stop.”
“Or someone,” Hammer mutters.
Silence again.
I straighten slightly, boot scraping once against the floor.
Logan’s eyes cut to me. “You got something?”
I do.
Not a theory. A conclusion. “If they’re asking, they’re looking.” The words land clean.
No extra. No explanation.
The room shifts.
Logan studies me. “Meaning.”
I hold his stare. “Meaning they don’t have what they need yet. If they did, they wouldn’t be calling Brynn. They’d already be moving. Calls like that are pressure. Probing. They’re checking reactions, seeing who tightens up, who starts moving different.”
Joker mutters, “Fishing.”
“No,” I say. “Targeting.” That quiet hits again. Different this time.
Landon leans back slightly. “That tracks.”
I keep going because it matters. “They’re narrowing. Every call, every question in town, it’s about finding leverage. If they think her brother opens a door, they’ll keep pushing until they see what moves.”
Blaze’s jaw tightens. “So we don’t move.”
“Not where they can see it.”
Shadow nods once. “Adjust without showing adjustment.”
“Exactly,” I say.
Logan exhales slowly, thinking it through. “Alright. No visible disruption unless necessary. Tighten what matters. Keep everything else looking normal.”
Cain’s already making notes. “I can shift things without it being obvious.”
Dom nods. “I’ll keep digging the technical side. See if anything lines up with the calls.”
Joker cracks his knuckles. “And if one of these assholes gets within reach?”
Logan’s voice goes cold. “Then you handle it without lighting a fire we can’t put out.”
Blaze stands, pushing his chair back. “That’s gonna be fun.”
“Didn’t say it would be.”
