Elizabeth stood in front of the bathroom mirror, the steam from her hot shower still clinging to the glass, blurring her reflection. She leaned forward, palms pressed against the counter, her breath uneven as she studied herself. Her face looked calm, perfectly put together with the light makeup s

Ryan picked up the phone slowly, pressing it against his ear. “Hello?” he said, his tone steady. On the other end, a familiar voice came through. “Ryan,” the man said warmly. “This is Harrison. Harrison Grant.” “Mr. Harrison,” he replied, his voice polite even though he already knew who he was. “

Julian’s car screeched into the McCarthy’s driveway faster than he normally drove. He almost forgot to lock the door behind him in his rush, fumbling with the keys like an overeager child. His chest was still pounding with excitement, his phone clutched tightly in his hand as if it might vanish or t

Ryan stood frozen on the cracked pavement as the words echoed in his head. A fire. That was all the man had said at first. A fire that burned everything.He blinked hard, struggling to process what the man had just said, then leaned forward as he spoke. “A fire?” Ryan repeated, his tone half disbel

Ryan woke up early, his head pounding. He had slept late the previous day. He had gone to bed telling himself that today would be different, today he would go back to that neighborhood and dig deeper until he found the man who sold him the laptop.He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temples.