Chapter 26: The Warning
June’s heat settled thick over the town, air buzzing with cicadas and the tang of cut grass. Graduation caps were still strewn on lawns, diplomas framed, and Jake was off at a scout camp—three days of drills, college eyes on him, his shot at a future. I stayed home, sketching on the porch—pier scenes, his grin in ink—basking in the quiet after Rico’s fall. Kyle’s rehab letter sat on my desk, a fragile peace, and Vega’s sedan felt like a ghost we’d outrun. The sun dipped low, painting the street gold, when a crash shattered it—glass exploding inward, my window raining shards across the floor. I jumped, pencil skittering, heart slamming as a brick thudded by my feet—red, rough, a note tied tight with twine. I grabbed it, hands shaky, untangling the scrawl: “Ryder owes. Tell him—V.” My brea
- Writer
