Evie's hand found the edge of the table, steadying herself, but her eyes were clear. "He's not going to stop. Not after this, not after a hundred more messages. The only way this ends is if he believes taking me costs him more than leaving me alone."
"Then we make sure it does," Cole said.
Preacher rose from his chair slowly, the old wood groaning beneath the shift of his weight. "Church. Full patch, thirty minutes. Ghost, get Mickey up—he's still got contacts on the security circuit from before he prospected. I want a name on that contractor by sunrise."
The room broke into motion—chairs scraping, boots on hardwood, voices low and urgent. Cole caught Evie's arm gently before she could follow the others out.
"You don't have to be in the room for this part," he said.
Her eyes met his,
