The message came ten minutes after Brian’s call.
No number.
No name.
Just a notification lighting up Hazel’s monitored device.
Emma didn’t see it herself—but she didn’t need to.
Brian called immediately.
“They’ve reached out.”
Emma stood near her window, gaze fixed on the street outside. Still. Quiet. Watching.
“What did they say?” she asked.
“Short,” Brian replied. “Instructions. They want her to be ready.”
A pause.
“They think everything is normal.”
Emma’s lips curved slightly.
“Good.”
There was a shift in her voice now.
Not relief.
Not fear.
Something colder.
“Tell me when she responds.”
“She will,” Brian said. Then, after a beat—“You sound very sure.”
Emma didn’t answer that directly.
Instead—
“Because this isn’t random anymore,” she said. “They’ve already committ
