The morning after Kai's warning, Ezra woke to sunlight spilling across his desk—and an unfamiliar weight on his conscience. The rain had stopped, but his mind was still caught in last night's storm.
He sat at the desk, nursing a cup of coffee that had already gone lukewarm, scrolling through the news on his phone. The headline made him freeze:
Local Business Owner Closes Shop Overnight – "No Explanation" Given
It was the kind of bland article no one paid attention to, except Ezra recognized the name. The same man Kai had argued with outside the bar last week.
A knock at the door made him jump. When he opened it, it wasn't Kai—it was Theo, his neighbor from down the hall. The same Theo who never spoke unless absolutely necessary, now standing in Ezra's doorway looking pale.
"Uh… can I come in?" Theo asked, voice low.
Ezra nodded, stepping aside.
Once inside, Theo kept glancing toward the windows like he was afraid of being seen. "You hang out with that guy… the one with the hood, right?"
Ezra felt his stomach twist. "Kai?"
Theo gave a sharp nod. "I need you to tell him to stay away from my sister."
Ezra blinked. "Your sister?"
Theo's jaw tightened. "She's been getting messages. Weird ones. No name, no number, just… 'Don't go out alone at night.' She thinks it's some creep, but I've seen him—Kai—hanging around her workplace."
Ezra didn't answer immediately. The room felt smaller, air heavier.
"Look, Ezra," Theo continued, "you seem like a decent guy. But whatever thrill you're chasing with him—it's going to end badly. For everyone."
Ezra wanted to say something, but his throat felt tight. He walked Theo to the door without promising anything, without admitting the truth.
When he was alone again, Ezra stared at the locked window across the room. For the first time, he wished he'd never opened it for Kai in the first place.
And yet… when his phone buzzed, his heart still skipped at the sight of the message:
Meet me. 9 p.m. The pier.
No name. No number. Just like Theo had said.