And then he turned the car off.
“Okay,” he said. Leon sat bolt upright, twisting to face him. To say something, no doubt. Daniel cut him off with a jerk of his head, his eyes heavily lidded. “If there are people here, if...if those people are here, then we’re going to have to move carefully.”
He cast a glance through the window. It was still dark—somehow—but with every moment they wasted, the sun crept higher over the horizon. Once daylight hit in full, what little advantage they had would evaporate like fog.
Time to go. He reached into his jacket again, slipping the pistol from its holster, and ran his finger over the ejector. Should he swap magazines? He’d only fired one round before, but there was no telling how badly things were about to go.
Does it matter? his thoughts hissed. Can you even pull yourself together enough to shoot at someone, or are you going to panic again?
His hands quivered, tensing about the grip.
“Jesus Christ,” he heard Leon whisper.
Daniel glanced up. Leon was watching him—watching the gun, rather. His face had gone bone white.
“Sorry,” Daniel mumbled, shoving it back into his coat. “I’m just- I’m being careful, that’s all.”
“I-I know,” Leon said, and forced a smile onto his face. “I...I get it. It’s just weird. This is so surreal.”
Daniel snorted, shaking his head. “Tell me about it.”
He was wasting more time, he knew. They were here. He couldn’t afford to sit around staring at James’ house, when God only knew what was happening inside. “Okay,” he said, when he could collect himself enough. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to-”
An electronic screeching split the quiet. Both of them jumped. Daniel’s heart hammered, pounding in his ears.
His phone. Someone was calling his burner phone. That was all. Daniel licked his lips, grabbing for it with fingers that were too electrified to listen. Underneath the shock of it all, his mood soared. Maya. Maybe she’d figured something out.
Grinning, he flipped the phone over, and-
Unidentified Caller.
The mishmash of numbers knocked the wind right out of him. For a long moment, he just gaped, staring down at the burner phone’s tiny screen as though the extra seconds would make the letters change into something new.
Unidentified. That was impossible. He’d only given the number to Leon, James, and Maya—and even if it’d taken a bit of quiet work behind the scenes, he’d made damn sure that he wouldn’t be getting phone calls from telemarketers.
All of which made it utterly impossible for someone to be calling him now. The phone warmed in his grasp, its screech hitting new heights.
He saw Leon’s head lift, his eyes darting from the phone to Daniel’s. “Um...hey. Are you going to-”
“Damn it,” Daniel whispered. He lifted a finger to his lips in the next moment, quieting Leon—and then he flipped the phone open, pressing it to his ear.
He didn’t say a word, didn’t introduce himself or offer a greeting. Whoever was calling him, they had to know things were beyond that.
For a long moment, the line was quiet. Then-
“You’re there, aren’t you?”
Daniel’s blood froze. The voice was low and soft, little more than a whisper, and filled with fear besides. Just as clearly, it was a woman’s voice. And not just any woman.
“I know you’re listening,” Olivia said. “Look. It’s fine. Don’t say anything.”
Well, if she insisted, then he’d be rude not to oblige. Daniel clamped his jaw shut, staring out through the windshield. The panic building in his mind surged higher again. If Olivia was here, if she was involved, then...that didn’t bode well for their situation.
Not to mention that she’d found his phone number. That had...implications. Bad ones. There were only so many places she could have gotten that.
“I know you came,” she whispered. Her words slipped out quickly, one after another. She was in a hurry, then. “I- We heard. About Leon. They know, Owl. And they’re going to be ready, this time.”
Still, he held his tongue. She didn’t need anything from him. Not a letter, not a conversation, not a single word. Whatever game she was playing, now, she could do it on her own.
“Let me help you,” she said.
“W-What?” he spluttered before he could stop himself. Just like that, he could feel his boasts of stubbornness crumbling. He clamped down again, trying to get a hold of himself.
“There you are,” Olivia muttered. He wrinkled his nose, his eyes narrowing, but she continued. “Please. I told you before, Owl. I don’t...I never wanted anyone to get hurt. And…”
Her voice trailed off, as though she’d turned away. Daniel’s blood froze. “What did you do?” he whispered. “What the hell did you people-”
“I’m sorry, okay?” she hissed. “I’m doing the best I can. But...I can’t just stand by, and you can’t sit on your thumb and spin anymore. You need to do something. Let me help you.”
“There’s no way I’m-”
Something rose in the background, right at the edge of hearing. A cry, filled with pain. Daniel stopped, his eyes widening. “Leave him alone,” he whispered. “Damn it, Olivia, don’t you dare-”
“I don’t have long,” Olivia spat. “And neither do you. They’ve- They’ve got him in the living room. I’ve managed to unlock the back entrance, by the patio. When you get there, text me. I’ll...I’ll do something.”
“Something?” Daniel said, a laugh burbling under the word. “Something like what? Olivia, you can’t seriously expect me to-”
“Let me do this much.” The line went quiet again, then he heard her sigh. “Or try and be the hero. Your choice. If you get it wrong, your friend’s the one who’ll pay the price.”
His nostrils flared. “That’s not-”
The line clicked. Daniel pulled the phone free, staring down at it, but the call had already ended.
“Bitch hung up on me,” he mumbled.
Leon was still watching him, he
