Jack didn't sleep.
Not really.
He lay on the narrow couch in the cabin's living room, staring at the ceiling while the lake shifted outside in slow, rhythmic movements.
Something was wrong.
He couldn't see it.
Couldn't touch it.
But it was there.
The feeling had started the day Brian mentioned fishing.
It sharpened when Molly appeared at the apartment door.
It deepened when Sarah smiled in a way she shouldn't have.
Hope.
Hope meant outside influence.
And outside influence meant risk.
He stood before dawn and walked into the bedroom.
Sarah was awake.
He could tell by her breathing.
"You're different," he said quietly.
She didn't respond.
He crouched in front of her.
"If someone was watching… if someone came near this place…"
He let the sentence hang.
She held his gaze.
"I'd tell you."
Would she?
He studied her face.
Looking for cracks.
He didn't find one.
But that didn't mean it wasn't there.
He stood and walked outside, scanning the shoreline again in the gray morning light.
Still nothing.
But instinct had never failed him before.
And instinct told him the circle was tightening.
Back in town, Brian stood in the Chief's office again.
"We're ready to move," he said.
"Not without confirmation inside that cabin," the Chief replied.
"We have video of him docking."
"That's not enough for a forced entry."
Brian's jaw tightened.
"We wait much longer, and he'll feel it."
The Chief nodded slowly.
"You think he's close to snapping."
"Yes."
Silence.
"Then you need to be careful."
Brian left with the weight of time pressing harder against his chest.
He texted Molly.
Stay inside today.
She responded quickly.
I will.
Jack drove into town late morning.
He needed to see something normal.
To test the air.
He parked near a small convenience store and stepped inside.
Bought coffee.
Stood near the window.
Watched.
Nothing unusual.
No police presence.
No surveillance vehicles.
No tension.
And yet—
He felt watched.
He stepped back outside.
And that's when he saw her.
Molly.
Across the street.
Coming out of a bookstore.
Alone.
His pulse slowed instead of spiking.
Interesting.
She wasn't hiding.
She wasn't acting suspiciously.
Just walking.
Carrying a small bag.
He watched her cross toward her car.
And something inside him shifted.
Brian had said they were "seeing each other."
That made her less of a threat.
Emotional.
Distracted.
Close to him.
And closeness created leverage.
He didn't move immediately.
He let her get in her car first.
Then he followed.
Not aggressively.
Not obviously.
Just enough.
Molly didn't notice him at first.
She was thinking about dinner.
About the way Brian's expression had changed lately—harder, more focused.
She turned onto a quieter street near the apartment complex.
That's when she saw headlights closer than expected in her rearview mirror.
Her stomach tightened.
It was him.
She knew the vehicle instantly.
Her breath grew shallow.
Don't panic.
He's not suspicious.
He's not—
Her phone buzzed in the passenger seat.
The sudden vibration made her jump.
She looked down instinctively.
When she looked back up—
His car had sped forward.
Blocking her path at the next intersection.
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
He stepped out.
Calm.
Controlled.
She locked her doors immediately.
He approached her window and tapped lightly.
Smile in place.
"Car trouble?" he asked through the glass.
She forced herself to lower the window just slightly.
"No."
"You looked distracted."
"I'm fine."
He leaned closer.
"You shouldn't drive distracted."
His hand moved suddenly.
The door handle jerked.
She had locked it.
But he was faster than she expected.
He stepped back, then around to the passenger side.
She fumbled for her phone—
Too late.
He yanked the passenger door open and reached across, unlocking her door from inside.
"Get out," he said quietly.
Her blood turned to ice.
"No."
His smile vanished.
"Get. Out."
"I'll scream."
He leaned close enough that she could see something different in his eyes now.
Cold.
"You can scream."
The words echoed in her mind.
No one will hear you.
She tried to shift the car into reverse.
He grabbed her wrist through the open window and twisted hard.
Pain shot up her arm.
The door flew open.
He pulled her out with controlled force—no shouting, no wildness—just precision.
"Don't make this worse," he whispered.
She fought.
Kicked.
Scratched.
He slammed her against her own car hard enough to stun her.
"Stop."
His voice wasn't loud.
It was final.
Within seconds, he had forced her into his back seat.
Locked.
He slid behind the wheel and drove.
Fast.
Brian's phone buzzed in his hand as he stepped out of the station.
Unknown number.
He answered.
Silence.
Then Molly's voice.
Breathing unevenly.
"Brian—"
The line cut.
His entire body went still.
He called back.
No answer.
He opened the location app they had installed quietly on her phone days ago.
The dot was moving.
Away from town.
Toward the lake.
His stomach dropped.
"No," he whispered.
Then louder—
"No."
He ran to his truck.
Engine roaring to life.
He didn't call the Chief.
Not yet.
He followed the dot.
And for the first time—
This wasn't a quiet investigation.
This was war.
At the cabin, Sarah sat upright as she heard the boat engine approaching again.
Too soon.
Too fast.
Something was wrong.
The boat docked roughly this time.
Not smooth.
Not patient.
Footsteps rushed up the path.
The door burst open.
Jack stepped inside—
Dragging Molly behind him.
Sarah's breath left her body.
No.
No.
No.
Jack's eyes were wild now.
Not panicked.
But cracked.
"You shouldn't have come near my lake," he said calmly.
And everything—
Everything—
Had just exploded.