The night had changed.
Not because the danger was new—
But because it was no longer distant.
Isabella Vicks sat in the passenger seat of Damien Hayes’s car, her gaze fixed ahead, but her thoughts racing far beyond the road. The events of the past hour replayed over and over again—the ambush, the chase, the collision.
The realization.
This wasn’t a warning anymore.
It was war.
Damien drove in silence, his focus absolute. But Isabella could feel it—the shift in him.
He wasn’t reacting anymore.
He was planning.
“They knew exactly where I’d be,” she said finally, breaking the silence.
Damien didn’t look at her.
“Yes.”
“They knew I’d come for you.”
Another quiet response.
“Yes.”
Her chest tightened slightly.
“That means…”
“They’re studying us,” Damien finished.
She nodded slo
