Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tessa woke with the plan already forming in her head.
She'd barely slept, turning the problem over and over in the dark while Brian dozed fitfully beside her. Carla was watching. Carla was waiting. Carla held all the cards because she controlled when and where things happened.
So take that away from her.
By the time the sun came up, Tessa knew what she wanted to do. The only question was whether she could convince everyone else.
They gathered in Hank's kitchen after breakfast. Same group as last night: Brian, Hank, Bree, Colby, Sabrina. Coffee cups in hand, faces tired but alert.
"I have an idea," Tessa said. "You're not going to like it."
Brian set down his mug. "Why do I already not like where this is going?"
"Because you know me." She took a breath. "I want to set a trap. Use myself as bait."
Silence. Then everyone started talking at once.
"Absolutely not." Brian.
"That's insane." Colby.
"Tessa, think about this." Bree.
"Hold on." Hank's voice cut through the noise. "Let her talk."
The room quieted. Tessa shot Hank a grateful look.
"Carla's whole strategy is control. She picks when to call.
She picks when to show up. She picks when to disappear.
We've been reacting to her moves for days, and where has it gotten us?
She's still out there. Still watching." Tessa leaned forward.
"What if we flip it? Give her what she thinks she wants.
Me, alone, vulnerable. But it's a setup.
Police waiting. Backup ready. She walks in thinking she's got me cornered, and instead she's the one who's trapped. "
Brian's jaw was tight. "And if something goes wrong?"
"Then we deal with it. But something's going to go wrong eventually anyway. She's not going to stop. She told me herself; she's waiting for the right moment. So we give her one. On our terms, not hers."
Colby shook his head. "It's risky as hell."
"So is waiting for her to make her move when we're not ready."
Hank was studying her with that quiet, assessing look. "You've thought this through."
"All night."
"What's the setup?"
"I go back to the cottage. Make it look like I'm alone. Brian's truck is gone, lights low. Diaz puts officers in the house next door, an unmarked car down the street. I wear a wire. The second Carla makes a move, they take her down."
"And where am I during all this?" Brian's voice was strained.
"The shop. Close enough to get there fast if something goes sideways. You, Hank, Colby."
"Three blocks away, while you're alone with a woman who wants to hurt you."
"I won't be alone. I'll have police ten feet away and a wire transmitting everything." She held his gaze. "I can do this, Brian. I need to do this."
"We need to run it by Diaz," Sabrina said. "See if she'll even agree to it."
"Then let's call her." Tessa pulled out her phone.
Diaz answered on the second ring. Tessa put her on speaker and laid out the plan.
Diaz was quiet for a long moment. "It's risky."
"I know."
"If we do this, we do it right. Officers in the cottage next door. Unmarked car with a clear line of sight. You wear a wire. The second she makes a threatening move, we move in."
"Done."
"I want Knight close. Not in the cottage, but nearby."
Brian leaned toward the phone. "I'll be at the shop with Hank and Colby. We can see the cottage from the second floor."
"Good. Tomorrow night. That gives me time to get everything in place and brief my officers." Diaz paused. "Dr. Callahan, if you change your mind—"
"I won't."
"Alright. I'll call you this afternoon with details. Meeting at the station at four to go over positions."
The line went dead. Tessa looked around the room.
"So we're doing this," Colby said.
"We're doing this."
Brian stood abruptly and walked out the back door. Tessa watched him go, then followed.
She found him on the deck, hands braced on the railing, staring out at the bay. His shoulders were tight, his breathing controlled.
"I know you're scared," she said.
"Scared doesn't cover it."
She moved to stand beside him. "Tell me."
He was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "Lily was six years old. I held her hand in the ambulance and promised her she'd be okay. And then she wasn't." He turned to look at Tessa. "I can't do that again. I can't be somewhere else while someone I love is in danger."
"I'm not Lily."
"I know."
"I'm a grown woman who's survived seven years of trauma surgery and a stalker and starting over in a town where I didn't know anyone. I can handle this."
"I know that too." He turned to face her fully. "But knowing it doesn't make it easier. The idea of being three blocks away while Carla—"
"You'll be three blocks away with Hank and Colby and a direct line to Diaz. The second anything goes wrong, you'll be there."
"And if I'm too late?"
"You won't be." She took his face in her hands. "Brian. I need you to trust me."
"I do trust you."
"Then let me do this. Let me take back control of my life."
He closed his eyes. She watched him struggle with it, watched him fight every protective instinct screaming at him to lock her away somewhere safe. When he opened his eyes again, she saw the resignation there. The trust.
"Okay," he said quietly. "But I'm going to be at that shop with my phone in my hand the entire time. Anything feels wrong, you call me."
"I will."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
He pulled her into his arms and held on tight. She pressed her face against his chest, breathing him in.
"I love you," he said into her hair.
"I love you too."
They stood there for a while, wrapped around each other, the bay stretching out before them. Tomorrow night, this would all be over. One way or another.
When they went back inside, the others had dispersed. Hank was on the phone with Diaz, working out logistics. Bree and Sabrina were making lists. Colby was studying a hand-drawn map of the streets around the cottage.
"We're in," Brian said. "What do you need from us?"
Colby looked up. "I'm working out sight lines from the shop. Second floor has a clear view of the cottage if we use binoculars. Hank and I will be there with you."
"Sabrina and I will be here," Bree added. "Close enough to help if needed, far enough not to spook Carla."
"Meeting at the station at four," Hank said, hanging up the phone. "Diaz wants everyone there. Full briefing."
Tessa nodded. This was happening. Tomorrow night, she'd face Carla Reeves on her own terms.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparation. The meeting with Diaz was thorough: positions, timing, signals, contingencies. Tessa was fitted for a wire. Brian memorized the route from the shop to the cottage until he could run it in his sleep.
That night, they lay in the guest room bed, not sleeping.
"I've been thinking about after," Tessa said quietly. "When this is over."
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to take the clinic job. Dr. Hendricks said the offer's still open."
Brian turned to face her. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure. Urgent care isn't trauma surgery, but it's medicine. It's helping people. And it leaves room for a life." She found his hand in the dark. "A life with you."
"I signed up with Dawson today. Official volunteer with county EMS, starting next month."
"Brian." She squeezed his hand. "That's huge."
"Felt right. After Eleanor, after everything. I can't save everyone. But I can save some."
"Look at us. Both starting fresh."
He kissed her, slow and deep. "Starting fresh. I like that."
Tomorrow would bring the trap. The confrontation. The end of Carla Reeves.
Tonight, they held on to each other and waited for dawn.