Chapter 24

“Ms. Silva ... our assassin says he’s ready to make a deal...”

Karla sat at her desk, gripping her phone tightly as she listened to the detective on the other end.

“He’s asking for a deal in exchange for giving us the name of the person who hired him,” the detective said.

Karla took a deep breath, steadying herself. “And what exactly does he want?”

“Lesser charges, naturally. If the DA agrees, he could be looking at conspiracy or attempted murder instead of full premeditated charges, but that’s up to negotiation. The real question is, do you want to hear what he has to say?”

“Yes. Absolutely.” Karla’s mind was already racing.

Chris Westward. It had to be him, but was the assassin willing to say it outright, and if so, would it be enough to bring Chris down?

“Alright. Meet me at the precinct in an hour. We’ll do this in person.”

Karla entered the station with a focused intensity, her leather heels clicking against the tile floors. The detective, a burly man in his early 50s named Detective Paul Renner, greeted her with a firm nod.

“He’s ready to talk but be prepared. He might hold back, try to negotiate harder. Stay sharp.”

“I always do,” Karla said, adjusting her blazer.

They stepped into the dimly lit interrogation room, where the assassin, Eric Salazar, a lean, hard-looking man with cold brown eyes, was sitting in cuffs. He looked up as they entered, his expression unreadable.

“Ms. Silva, pleasure to meet you. I understand you’re the lawyer for some estranged wife?” His voice was smooth, too smooth for a man who had shot someone just days ago.

Karla didn’t blink. “Cut the crap. You tried to kill someone in cold blood. The only reason I’m here is to find out who hired you. You’re asking for a deal. You’d better have something worth our time.”

Salazar smiled, leaning back in his chair. “Oh, I have something, but before I talk, I want guarantees. I need to know I’m not going away for life.”

Detective Renner folded his arms. “You’re already looking at attempted murder, plus illegal possession of a firearm, conspiracy, and fleeing the scene. If you want any hope of shaving off years, you better start talking.”

Salazar exhaled slowly, his expression shifting just slightly. He knew he was trapped.

“Fine. I was hired to take Moss out. Told to make it clean and make it permanent. The guy who paid me wanted him gone, no questions asked.”

Karla’s nails dug into her palm. “Who hired you?”

Salazar hesitated for a second, then said exactly what Karla expected, but needed to hear out loud.

“Chris Westward.”

Karla’s heart pounded. “You’re sure?”

Salazar nodded. “One hundred percent. Westward contacted me through a middleman, but I met with him once. He made it clear: Moss had to go. He wanted him dead, and he paid upfront.”

Detective Renner leaned in. “You have proof of payment? Communications? Anything that directly ties him?”

Salazar smiled slightly. “There’s a paper trail. He was careful, but not careful enough. I have a copy of the cash drop details and an encrypted email string. But I ain’t handing that over without a deal in writing.”

Karla and Renner exchanged glances. They had him. They had Chris Westward.

As soon as she left the station, Karla pulled out her phone and called Jalen. He picked up immediately.

“Hey, Karla. What’s up?”

“It’s him, Jalen.” Her voice was firm, but there was an undertone of satisfaction. “Chris. He ordered the hit on you.”

There was a heavy pause. Then Jalen exhaled sharply. He wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t stop his blood from boiling. “That son of a bitch.”

“We have a witness. The assassin confirmed it and said there’s a paper trail. We’re about to blow this case wide open.” Karla explained further.

Jalen let out a bitter chuckle. “Well, it’s about damn time. So, what happens now?”

“I need to get the DA involved. Once we lock in the deal, we’ll get access to the evidence and then we’re going after Chris with everything we have.” Karla’s voice was fierce and determined. “This is the beginning of the end for him.”

Jalen was silent for a moment, then said, “Be careful, Karla. If Chris knows we’re onto him, he won’t go down quietly.”

Karla tightened her grip on the phone. “Neither will I.”

“God, she’s so sexy when she talks like that.” Jalen thought to himself, smiling.

Karla wasted no time. After hanging up with Jalen, she immediately contacted Assistant District Attorney Mark Caldwell, a no-nonsense prosecutor who specialized in high-profile cases. This wasn’t just about Megan’s divorce anymore. This was a full-fledged criminal case against Chris Westward.

“ADA Caldwell, it’s Karla Silva. I need to meet with you immediately. I have information on a murder-for-hire case that directly implicates Chris Westward.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Caldwell responded. “Chris Westward? The same Chris Westward that runs one of the biggest law firms in Atlanta?”

“That’s the one.” Karla said, already walking toward her car. “And I have a witness ready to testify.”

“Come to my office in an hour. Bring everything you have.”

Karla sat across from Caldwell in his sleek downtown office, presenting the details of the case. The assistant DA flipped through the documentation, taking in the assassin’s confession, the hints of a paper trail, and the implications of what it all meant.

“If Salazar can produce these documents linking Chris to the hit, we’ll have enough for an indictment,” Caldwell muttered, rubbing his chin. “But we need to move carefully. If Chris Westward catches wind of this before we lock him down, he’ll try to bury it.”

Karla nodded. “We have to keep it airtight. If he even suspects we’re coming for him, he’ll use every connection he has to make this disappear.”

Caldwell exhaled sharply. “Alright. I’ll take this to my superior and get the green light to move forward. Once we get the documentation from Salazar, we can push for an arrest warrant.”

Karla leaned forward. “How long will that take?”

“Could be a few days. Could be a week. But we’ll make it happen.”

Karla clenched her jaw. She wanted Chris behind bars now, but she also knew rushing things could jeopardize everything.

Jalen sat on his couch, still recovering but feeling restless. The weight of everything, his near-death experience, the danger surrounding his loved ones, and the growing fury inside him made it impossible to relax.

He was trying to unwind by playing NBA 2K, when a text from Sydney popped up.

Sydney: “How are you feeling? Want some company?”

Jalen smiled. Sydney always knew when he needed her.

Jalen: “Aren’t we supposed to be staying apart for safety?”

Sydney: “Jalen, fuck that, now do you want me to come over or not?”

Jalen smiled even more at that. “Lol Yeah, come over.”

Thirty minutes later, Sydney arrived, carrying a bag of takeout from their favorite burger joint. She sat beside him on the couch, resting a hand on his thigh.

“You’ve been quiet,” she observed.

Jalen exhaled. “Karla met with the ADA today. They’re getting ready to take Chris down.”

Sydney raised an eyebrow. “That’s good news, right?”

Jalen nodded slowly. “Yeah. But I still can’t shake this feeling like this isn’t over yet.”

Sydney gently squeezed his hand. “Jalen, you almost died because of this man, but you survived, and now we’re about to take him down. You don’t have to carry this weight alone.”

Jalen turned to her, his gaze softening. “I know, and I appreciate you being here.”

Sydney smiled. “Always.”

For the first time that day, Jalen allowed himself to relax, pulling Sydney closer as they sat in comfortable silence.

Chris sat in his private office, whiskey in hand, reading an encrypted email from one of his investigators.

“No traceable link between Moss and Megan. No financial transactions. No proof he’s supporting her.”

Chris clenched his jaw. He had expected to find something, some way to pin Jalen as the mastermind behind Megan’s escape. Instead, he had nothing.

That wasn’t acceptable.

His office door opened, and his head investigator, Grant Nichols, stepped in.

“Find anything?” Chris asked, his tone clipped.

Grant hesitated. “Not on Moss. But we did find something else.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

Grant set down a folder. “We confirmed Megan is living in a women’s shelter under a pseudonym. Here’s the kicker ... she’s pregnant.”

Chris’s grip on his whiskey glass tightened. “Pregnant?”

Grant nodded. “But there’s no record of her seeing a doctor under her real name. She’s been careful.”

Chris stared at the folder, his mind racing. If Megan was pregnant ... then whose baby was it?

A slow smile spread across his face. “Maybe we don’t need to go after Moss. Maybe there’s another way to break her.”

Grant frowned. “What do you mean?”

Chris leaned back in his chair, swirling his whiskey. “If Megan thinks she’s free of me, she’s wrong. She might have a baby on the way, but she’s still my wife, and that gives me leverage.”

Chris’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous glint.

“Let’s see how long she can keep running before she realizes she has nowhere left to hide.”

Megan sat in the small break room of the women’s shelter, sipping a cup of tea as she tried to focus on the latest updates from Karla. With Chris’s assassin flipping on him, things were moving fast, and they were closer than ever to finally taking him down.

Just as she was about to call Karla for an update, her burner phone buzzed.

Unknown Number: “You really thought you could escape me, didn’t you?”

Megan’s stomach dropped. She stared at the message, her hands trembling. Another message came through.

Unknown Number: “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? I always know what’s mine.”

Megan dropped her cup, the ceramic shattering against the tile floor. A cold chill ran through her body. She stood quickly, backing into the wall, her breath coming in short gasps.

“No. No. No.” she thought panicking.

Chris knew. She didn’t know how, but he knew she was pregnant. Megan grabbed her phone and immediately dialed Karla.

“Karla! He knows! Chris knows I’m pregnant!” she gasped, her voice shaking.

Karla was silent for half a second, then cursed under her breath. “How the hell—? Listen, Megan, you need to stay where you are. Do NOT leave the shelter. I’ll get to you as soon as I can.”

Megan’s heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She felt exposed. Trapped. How did he find out? Who told him? She looked around the break room, feeling suddenly unsafe, like someone was watching her. Then the next message came in.

Unknown Number: “If you don’t call me by noon, I’ll make your life a living hell.”

Jalen was still sore but feeling better as he sat at home, eating a sandwich and scrolling through his phone when Karla’s name popped up.

He answered immediately. “Hey, baby, what’s up?”

Karla didn’t waste time. “Chris knows about Megan’s pregnancy. He sent her some threatening texts this morning from an unknown number.”

Jalen sat up straight, his whole body tensing. “What?! How?!”

“We don’t know yet.” Karla said, her voice tight. “I’m heading to her now. She’s shaken up. We need to figure out our next move.”

Jalen ran a hand down his face, frustration building. “This motherfucker just won’t quit. First, he tries to kill me. Now he’s coming after Megan again?”

Karla’s voice turned steely. “Jalen, we need to be strategic. We’re close to getting him arrested, but if we move too soon, he’ll find a way to wiggle out of it. We need that hard evidence.”

Jalen exhaled slowly, clenching his jaw. “I’m not gonna let him touch her, Karla. Whatever we have to do, I’m in.”

Karla sighed. “I know, Jalen. We’ll figure this out. Just stay low and let me handle this for now.”

Jalen hated not being able to move freely, but he knew she was right.

“Keep me posted,” he said.

“Always,” Karla promised.

Chris poured himself another drink, staring out the window of his luxury high-rise office. His mind was buzzing.

Megan was pregnant. It had to be Moss’. Nothing else made sense. All of this started when he came into the fold. Moss was behind all of this. He had to be.

Chris clenched his jaw.

He wasn’t about to let his wife, his property, bring another man’s child into this world without suffering for it. He grabbed his phone and dialed his investigator, Grant.

“I need more on Megan. I want everything, where she’s been, who she’s talked to, where she might be hiding, and I want it now.”

Grant hesitated. “Chris, we’ve been digging, but she’s covered her tracks well. And with the heat from the DA’s office—”

“I don’t give a fuck about the DA’s office,” Chris snapped. “Do your damn job. Find everything on her. If you can’t, I’ll find someone who can.”

He ended the call and downed his drink in one gulp. Megan thought she was safe. She was wrong.

Megan hadn’t slept. Every little noise made her jolt awake, heart pounding. The phone was still on the table, taunting her. She hadn’t called Chris. She had ignored his threats. Now, she was waiting for the fallout.

At 9:00 AM, another message came in.

Unknown Number: “Wrong choice.”

Megan’s breath caught. A moment later, a loud knock sounded at the shelter’s entrance. One of the staff members answered, and Megan felt her stomach twist when she heard the hushed, urgent conversation. Then, the staff member came into the common room and looked straight at Megan.

“There’s someone here to see you.”

Megan froze. Her mind raced as she stared at the staff member.

“Who is it?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The staff member hesitated, glancing back toward the entrance. “He won’t give his name, but he insists that you’ll want to talk to him.”

Megan’s stomach twisted. It had to be someone from Chris. She had two choices. She could refuse to see whoever it was, which would likely only escalate things, or she could face them, figure out what they knew, and try to get ahead of this. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

“I’ll talk to him.”

The staff member led her to the small waiting area near the entrance. As soon as she stepped inside, she recognized the man immediately.

Grant Nichols. Chris’s private investigator. Of course.

Grant was tall, lean, and dressed in a sharp suit. His graying hair was slicked back, and his eyes held an air of quiet menace. He wasn’t just an investigator; he was Chris’s fixer. The man who made problems disappear.

Megan crossed her arms. “I have nothing to say to you, Grant.”

Grant smiled, unfazed. “That’s fine, Mrs. Westward. You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to deliver a message.”

“I’m not your client’s wife anymore.”

“Legally, you are, and that’s exactly the issue.”

Megan clenched her jaw.

“Chris is ... disappointed.” Grant continued, his tone eerily calm. “You had the chance to make this easy, but instead, you’ve chosen to hide and involve outsiders. And now—,”He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. “You’ve chosen to carry another man’s child.”

Megan’s blood ran cold. So, he did know.

Megan swallowed, keeping her face neutral. “You’re wasting your time. I don’t owe Chris anything.”

Grant tilted his head. “No? Well, the courts may disagree. You see, Chris has been very patient, but that patience is wearing thin.”

Megan laughed bitterly. “Patient? He hired a hitman.”

Grant smile. “Prove it.”

Megan’s hands clenched into fists.

“The thing about Chris,” Grant continued, “is that he always wins. He’s powerful, connected. Do you really think a judge will side with a woman who ran away in the middle of the night, who is now pregnant with another man’s baby while still legally married? Who do you think they’ll believe?”

Megan refused to let him see her fear.

“If Chris is so sure of himself, why send you here? Why threaten me? If he had me backed into a corner, you wouldn’t be here. That tells me he’s scared.”

Grant’s smile flickered just for a second. Megan felt a tiny surge of confidence.

“Chris doesn’t scare me anymore,” she said firmly. “And neither do you.”

Grant took a step back, adjusting his cufflinks. “Brave words, but bravery won’t protect you when this all falls apart.”

He turned toward the door, then paused. “Oh, and Megan?”

She tensed.

“I’d be very careful about who you trust.”

Then, he walked out. Megan stood frozen, heart pounding. What did he mean by that? Who was he implying she couldn’t trust?

She needed to call Karla. Now.

Megan sat in Karla’s office, pacing back and forth as she relayed everything Grant had said.

Karla listened silently, her face unreadable.

When Megan finished, Karla exhaled sharply. “He’s trying to rattle you. He wants you scared and unsure. That’s Chris’s strategy. Always has been.”

Megan ran a hand through her hair. “But what if he’s right? What if he actually finds a way to use this pregnancy against me?”

Karla shook her head. “He won’t. That’s why we have the prenup, the financial records, the evidence of emotional abuse. Plus, with the assassin flipping, we have a direct line to the attempted hit on Jalen. This is all stacking against him.”

Megan hesitated. “Then why does it feel like we’re still losing?”

Karla sighed. “Because men like Chris don’t go down quietly, and because we’re in the part of the fight where he’s getting desperate. That’s when they become the most dangerous.”

Megan sank into a chair, feeling exhausted. “So, what do we do next?”

Karla tapped her pen against her desk. “We counter his threats with legal pressure. If he’s willing to play dirty, then we’ll play smarter.”

She picked up a file and placed it in front of Megan.

“We file for an emergency restraining order. Not just against you, but against Jalen too.”

Megan’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? Why Jalen?”

“Because if Chris even so much as breathes in Jalen’s direction, it strengthens our case. It shows a pattern of harassment. The more we can paint Chris as a threat, the better our position in court. We use this to lock him down before he can make another move.”

Megan nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Karla gave her a firm look. “And in the meantime, you do not contact him. You do not answer any unknown numbers. You don’t go anywhere alone. We do this by the book.”

Megan swallowed hard. “And if he doesn’t back down?”

Karla’s expression hardened. “Then we make sure he never gets the chance to come near you again.”

Jalen had spent the entire day cooped up in his apartment. He was going stir-crazy. The fact that Chris was still out there, making moves, threatening Megan, and he was stuck playing defense? It pissed him off.

His phone rang. Karla.

“Please tell me you have good news,” Jalen said as soon as he picked up.

“We’re filing a restraining order.”

Jalen exhaled. “Good.”

“But that means something else. You can’t see or talk to Megan for a while. If Chris even suspects you two are in contact, he’ll try to spin it as proof of an affair before the divorce is finalized. We can’t give him any ammo.”

Jalen clenched his jaw.

Chris was keeping him from Megan again.

“I get it,” he said, voice tight. “But I hate it.”

Karla sighed. “I know, Jalen, but trust me. We’re almost at the finish line. We just need to be smart about this.”

Jalen took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

“Fine, but the second this is over, I want to be the first person Megan sees.”

Karla smiled slightly. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Jalen hung up. Then he punched the wall. He was sick of playing by Chris’s rules. This had to end.

Back at her office, Karla had the office phone pressed to her ear as she finalized the emergency restraining order against Chris Westward. The police had already tightened security around Jalen, but now it was time to turn Chris’s tactics against him.

Jalen was still recovering, which only fueled Karla’s anger. Megan, already pregnant and vulnerable, deserved peace, not to live in fear.

Megan sat across from Karla, nervously rubbing her hands together. “Do you think this will stop him?” she asked softly.

Karla, ever the professional, leaned forward, eyes sharp. “No. Not yet, but it will box him in legally. He wants to play dirty? Then we’ll use the law to destroy him.”

She picked up a folder and tapped it on the desk. “I’ve been building a file on Chris for weeks now. The intimidation attempts, the private investigators, the attempt on Jalen’s life, it’s all documented. The judge isn’t going to like this. If we keep applying pressure, Chris is going to make a huge mistake.”

Megan swallowed hard. “And if he doesn’t?”

Karla exhaled. “Then we force his hand in court.”

Jalen sat on the barstool in his kitchen, scrolling through his phone, reading Karla’s updates. The restraining order was filed, the police were increasing surveillance, and the gunman, Eric Salazar was considering a proposed deal.

He exhaled. “We’re closing in.” He said to himself.

His phone buzzed. It was a text from Jessica.

Jessica: “How are you feeling?”

Jalen smiled. His ribs still ached, but knowing she cared really meant something.

Jalen: “Getting stronger. I can jog a little now. You still thinking about the other night?”

A pause. Then...

Jessica: “Yeah ... and that scares me”

Jalen’s smile faded. He knew exactly what she meant. Before he could reply, another text came in, this time from Karla.

Karla: “Can you talk? There’s something you need to know.”

Jalen sat up straighter, tension creeping back in. He dialed Karla’s number. It only rang once before she picked up.

“Hey, thanks for calling so quickly.” She said, answering.

Jalen answered. “What’s going on?”

Karla’s voice was serious. “Jalen ... Salazar’s playing hardball, but I have a feeling he’s going to flip soon.”

Jalen clenched his jaw. “And Chris?”

Karla sighed. “He’s not stopping, Jalen. We need to be ready for whatever he tries next.”

Jalen exhaled, running a hand over his face.

“I don’t think I have a choice, Karla,” he said. “I think we need to go on the offensive.”

His mind was whirling. Eric Salazar, the man who shot him, was close to flipping and the restraining order was filed. But Chris Westward was still coming. Jalen couldn’t just sit back and wait for Chris to make another move.

“Karla, I need you to fast-track whatever legal options we have to shut Chris down before he tries something else.”

Karla sighed. “I’m already working on it. But legally? We have to wait for Chris to slip up. Right now, all we have is circumstantial evidence.”

Jalen exhaled sharply. “That’s not good enough.”

“I know,” Karla admitted. “Which is why I’ve been thinking ... we need leverage.”

Jalen raised an eyebrow. “What kind of leverage?”

Karla hesitated. “Chris is still desperate to find something on you. That means he’s making mistakes. If we can expose his illegal tactics, we might have enough to put him on the defensive.”

Jalen thought for a moment. “So what? We need proof of his intimidation tactics? His illegal investigations?”

“Exactly,” Karla confirmed. “If we can catch him crossing the line, we can use it against him.”

Jalen’s grip on the phone tightened. “And how do we do that?”

Karla’s voice was calm but firm. “We set a trap.”

“So let me get this straight,” Jalen said, “We create a situation where Chris tries to pull something shady, and we catch him in the act?”

Karla nodded. “Exactly.”

Jalen exhaled. “And how do we bait him?”

Karla smiled. “Leave that to me.”

Jalen trusted Karla, but he had a bad feeling about this. Chris wasn’t the type to play fair.

That afternoon, Karla made a strategic move. She leaked false information to a controlled source. A source she suspected was feeding intel to Chris.

The bait?

That Megan was planning to meet Jalen in a secret location to talk about a large sum of money he had supposedly given her to fund her escape.

It was a lie, but Karla was counting on Chris’s paranoia to make him act recklessly. Now all they had to do was wait.

Twenty-four hours later, Karla sat in her office, tapping her beige-colored nails against her desk as she stared at her phone. Then it buzzed.

Call from an Unknown Number.

Her eyes sharpened. She answered smoothly. “Karla Silva.”

Silence. Then, a familiar, cold voice.

“Ms. Silva.”

Karla smiled. “Gotcha.” She thought.

“I was wondering when you’d call,” she said, her tone casual.

Chris Westward was silent for a moment. Then said, “You must think you’re really smart.”

Karla leaned back in her chair. “Oh, I don’t think, I know.”

Chris chuckled darkly. “You’re spreading lies, hoping to get me to act impulsively. Cute.”

“Lies?” Karla said, feigning innocence. “I’m simply doing my job. Defending my client, protecting her rights, oh, and making sure you don’t get away with your usual intimidation tactics.”

Chris’s voice dropped. “You’re playing a dangerous game, sweetheart.”

Karla’s grip on her phone tightened, but she didn’t flinch. “Is that a threat, Mr. Westward?”

Chris chuckled again. “You tell me.”

Karla let a beat of silence pass. Then, she dropped the hammer.

“You know, Chris, I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you.”

“Oh? And why’s that?”

Karla’s smile widened. “Because I have reason to believe that a certain private investigator of yours has been using illegal methods to gather information on my client.”

Silence. Karla continued.

“Now, I could go to the State Bar with this information. Maybe even the DA’s office. Have a little conversation about ethics violations. But...” She trailed off, savoring the moment.

Chris’s tone was tight. “But what?”

“But I’d hate for your reputation to take such a nasty hit. So how about you drop your investigation into Megan, Jalen, and the rest of my clients, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll be generous enough to forget this little call ever happened.”

Chris exhaled sharply through the receiver. Karla felt like she had him, but then, Chris did something she didn’t expect. He laughed. Long, slow, and mocking.

“Oh, Karla,” he said, voice dripping with amusement. “You really think you’ve got this all figured out, don’t you?”

Karla’s smile faded slightly. Chris’s tone darkened.

“You’re playing defense. But I’m playing offense. And you have no idea what I have planned next.”

Then... click. The line went dead. Karla slowly lowered her phone, her heart pounding.

“Shit.”

Chris leaned back in his office chair, swirling the whiskey in his glass. He was pissed, but also amused. He expected Megan’ camp to try something. What they didn’t know was that he had already planned his next step. He picked up his phone and dialed another number.

Grant Nichols answered. “Yeah?”

Chris smiled. “I need a different kind of professional this time.”

A pause. Then... “I know a guy.”

Chris’s smile widened. “Good.”

Karla sat in the dimly lit living room of her condo, sipping a glass of water. She wasn’t rattled easily, but something about the way Chris had laughed...

“You have no idea what I have planned next.” He had said.

That part wouldn’t leave her head. Her gut told her Chris wasn’t bluffing. She glanced at her phone, debating whether to call Jalen. He was still recovering, and she didn’t want to stress him out, but at the same time, he needed to know.

Her doorbell rang. Karla’s eyes snapped toward the door. It’s almost 10 PM. Who the hell—?

She carefully placed her glass down and reached into the drawer of the coffee table. Her 9mm Glock was there. She wasn’t reckless enough to be unarmed with everything going on.

Approaching the door, she checked the peephole. Her entire body relaxed when she saw who was standing there.

She quickly unlocked it. “Jalen! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be resting.”

Jalen smiled slightly. “I was resting until I got a bad feeling. Figured I’d come check on you.”

Karla sighed, rubbing her temples. “Dammit, Jalen.” She looked him up and down. “You should still be taking it easy. You were shot, remember?”

Jalen grinned. “Yeah, I know. Still hurts.”

Karla shook her head but stepped aside to let him in.

“You want something to drink?” she asked, shutting the door.