Elena's POV
"What did he do?"
I was already sitting up, phone gripped tight, Damian stirring awake beside me at the sharpness in my voice. He blinked against the early morning light, disoriented for a moment before his eyes found the phone in my hands and his entire body went rigid with alertness.
"What is it?"
"The texter. They said Victor's already made his move." I showed him the screen, my hands unsteady, the fragile peace of the night before evaporating entirely beneath fresh dread. "They didn't say what."
Damian was already reaching for his own phone, scrolling through messages with a speed that betrayed how quickly his mind had shifted from tender vulnerability into sharp, focused alarm. "Ruth's been trying to reach me since five this morning."
He called her immediately, and I
