Nia thought of Lieutenant Cole's convenient tip and felt sick. The betrayal shouldn't have surprised her, but it did. They emerged onto a parallel street where Daniel had parked their backup vehicle. As they pulled away, more police units converged on the warehouse. The night felt alive with predatory energy.
"Someone was waiting for us to take the bait, " Daniel said, checking the mirrors constantly as they drove. Cole played us perfectly. The whole thing was staged. Nia agreed. They wanted to confirm we had evidence worth burning.
Tessa reviewed the footage on her camera's screen. At least we got what we came for. Bryce admitted to the weapons pipeline. And Larkin, "It won't matter if we don't make it back, " Daniel cut in, taking another turn to shake any potential tails. Nia watched familiar houses blur past, each darkened window now a potential surveillance point.
How many neighbors had been pressured or paid to report her movements? The thought of that invisible net closing around her family made her skin crawl. They turned onto Evelyn Street just before midnight. Orange light painted the clouds ahead and Nia's heart dropped. Flames licked skyward from Mrs. Chen's detached garage, the same neighbor who'd been threatened earlier that day.
Fire trucks hadn't arrived yet. Several witnesses from their protection network were already running with garden hoses, but the blaze had too much of a head start. The message was clear. Cooperation would be punished. Mrs. Chen stood on her front lawn in a bathrobe, hands pressed to her mouth as she watched her garage burn.
Her teenage son held her shoulders, his face rigid with anger. The air stank of accelerant. This was no accident. Nia stepped out of the car, and Mrs. Chen's eyes met hers across the yard. The fear there was quickly replaced by something harder.
Determination. She straightened her spine and walked deliberately toward Nia, despite everything the fire represented. They think this will make us stay quiet, Mrs. Chen said, her voice carrying clearly through the crackling flames. They are wrong. The firefighters flashing lights painted the neighborhood in harsh reds and blues.
Smoke drifted between houses as crews doused the last flames in Mrs. Chen's garage. The acrid smell of melted plastic and scorched wood hung thick in the midnight air. Evelyn moved through clusters of neighbors in her robe and slippers, her voice steady and reassuring. Stay together. Document everything.
We'll have patrols watching all night. She carried herself with the same authority she'd wielded from the bench, turning fear into resolve. Nia studied the destroyed garage. The fire's message was crude but effective. Shut up or burn.
She touched the blackened door frame, finding accelerant residue still tacky on the wood. This wasn't random. It was professional intimidation barely disguised as vandalism. Mom, Tessa called from Evelyn's front porch, her laptop casting blue light across her face. The siege footage is ready.
Should I release it now? Do it, Nia said. All channels. Inside Evelyn's living room, neighbors crowded around Tessa's screen. The edited video showed the morning's events with damning clarity.