The sound of the call ending echoed in Isabella Vicks’s ears long after the line went silent.
She stood frozen in the quiet lobby of her apartment building, staring at her phone as if it might suddenly explain everything.
Her heart was still racing.
The voice had been distorted, low and cold, but one thing about it was clear.
It wasn’t a joke.
Someone meant every word they said.
You really should stay away from Damien Hayes.
Isabella swallowed slowly and slipped the phone into her bag. The security guard at the front desk gave her a polite nod as she walked past, but she barely noticed.
Her mind was too busy replaying the conversation.
Who would send a message like that?
And why?
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, and she stepped inside, pressing the button for her floo
