Chapter 61 Chapter 61 — Cracks in Control

Chapter 61 Chapter 61 — Cracks in Control
Nobody speaks for several seconds after the photograph hits the counter.
Rain continues tapping steadily against the windows while tension settles through the kitchen so thick it feels almost physical, pressing into the silence between all of us.
Mike breaks first.
“What the fuck does he mean still watching?”
Patrick’s gaze remains fixed on the photograph. “Exactly what it says.”
“That picture’s years old,” Jake says, disbelief tightening his voice. “How the hell did he even get it?”
“No idea,” Josh answers quietly.
But something about the way he says it tells me that’s not entirely true.
Mike drags his hand harshly through his hair before pacing away from the island altogether, movement sharp and restless now. “No. Absolutely not. We’re not doing the vague mysterious bullshit right now.”
“Mike,” Drew says carefully.
“No.” He turns immediately, anger finally pushing through the control he’s been holding onto all day. “Somebody’s been following her long enough to get pictures outside her apartment, and we’re acting like this is just another strategy meeting.”
The room stills again.
Because underneath the anger is fear.
And everyone hears it.
Patrick finally lifts his eyes from the photograph. “We’re handling it.”
“That’s not handling it.”
Mike’s voice rises this time, not shouting, but close enough that it cuts sharply through the kitchen anyway.
“She walked into a courthouse yesterday, and somebody was already waiting with cameras. Now we find out they’ve been watching her longer than we knew?”
Josh folds his arms tightly across his chest. “Lower your voice.”
Mike laughs once without humor. “Why? So Emmy doesn’t realize this is completely fucked?”
“I already realize it,” I say quietly.
That stops him.
Immediately.
Mike turns toward me, anger faltering just enough for something rougher to show through instead.
“I know,” he says after a second, quieter now. “That’s the problem.”
The honesty of it lands harder than the anger did.
Liam steps back from the counter slightly, reading the room well enough to stay out of the middle of it while Jake watches Mike carefully like he’s trying to judge whether he’s about to explode or spiral.
Patrick finally sets the photograph down.
Deliberately.
“What exactly do you want me to say right now?”
Mike stares at him. “I want you to admit this is bigger than you thought.”
The silence afterward feels dangerous.
Not loud.
Controlled.
Patrick’s expression barely shifts, but tension pulls sharply through the room anyway as Josh straightens near the island.
“Mike,” he warns quietly.
“No, because somebody has to say it.” Mike points toward the photograph still sitting on the counter. “That isn’t random intimidation anymore. That’s obsession.”
The word settles cold and heavy inside my chest.
Obsession.
Nobody argues with it.
Patrick’s jaw tightens once before smoothing again. “I’m aware.”
“Are you?” Mike fires back immediately. “Because right now it feels like you’re still treating this like a chess game.”
The room goes completely still.
Jake exhales softly under his breath.
Drew shifts closer beside me.
Josh looks ready to step between them if he has to, physically.
And Patrick, Patrick stays calm.
That somehow makes everything sharper.
“You think panicking helps her?” he asks evenly.
“I think acting like this is under control is bullshit.”
The words hit hard enough that even Mike seems to realize it immediately afterward, tension flashing across his face before he looks away.
Patrick studies him for a long second.
Then, he says quietly, “No.” “It’s not under control.”
The room stills again.
Because it’s the first time he’s admitted it out loud.
Mike stops pacing.
Josh’s expression shifts slightly.
Even Jake straightens.
Patrick’s gaze moves briefly toward me before returning to Mike. “But losing control of ourselves isn't an option either.”
Silence settles after that.
Not resolved.
But different.
Mike rubs both hands over his face slowly before finally exhaling. “Fuck.”
Jake steps beside him, first, and bumps his shoulder once. “There he is.”
Mike flips him off automatically without looking up.
That tiny bit of normalcy cracks some of the pressure in the room enough for everyone to breathe again.
Barely.
Drew’s hand slides gently along my back while Liam quietly gathers the extra papers from the counter, giving the moment space without pretending it didn’t happen.
Josh finally looks toward Patrick again. “What’s the move?”
Patrick’s attention shifts toward the windows where rain still falls steadily outside.
“We stop reacting,” he says calmly.
Mike lets out another tired breath. “Meaning.”
Patrick’s gaze sharpens slightly.
“Meaning whoever’s doing this just made a mistake.”
And for the first time since the photograph appeared on the counter, something colder than fear settles through the room.
Hope.