Chapter 83: Protecting the Innocent

I didn’t waste a second. As soon as I saw the message with Mikey’s photo, the world around me narrowed into a single thought: Protect them at all costs.

“Ava, grab your things,” I said urgently, already pulling up my contacts. “We need to get to Mikey.”

Ava’s panic simmered just beneath the surface, but she nodded, scrambling to grab her purse. Oliver was already on his feet, the phone pressed to his ear. "I’m calling in a favor. One of my guys can get to the school before we do."

I knew Oliver’s connections ran deep—he had always been the kind of man who thrived in the gray spaces, where power meant knowing the right people. But even with his influence, we were racing against a ghost. Whoever was behind the messages had a frightening advantage.

I clenched my phone in my hand as we headed toward the car. “We’re not just moving Mikey. We’re going off the grid.”

Ava’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“I mean no phones, no familiar places, nothing that can be tracked. We’ll fi