Chapter 46 Pressure

Chapter 46 Pressure
Pressure
I notice it before anyone says anything.
Not something I see.
Something I feel.
The house is the same. The routine is the same. Voices in the kitchen, movement in the hallway, the low hum of normal that’s been holding everything together the last few days.
But underneath it—
Something is off.
Josh is quieter.
Not distant.
Just… sharper.
Mike hasn’t sat down once since I came downstairs. He moves from window to window like he’s checking something he doesn’t expect to find.
I don’t ask.
Not yet.
I pour my coffee and lean back against the counter, watching them without making it obvious. Drew is at the table with his laptop open, but his eyes lift more than they should. Jake is talking, filling space like he always does, but even that feels a little forced.
Patrick walks in last.
One look at him and it settles.
There it is.
His posture is controlled, but tighter than usual, like he’s already made a decision and hasn’t shared it yet.
My stomach tightens.
Not panic.
Just awareness.
“What happened?” I ask.
The room is still.
Jake stops mid-sentence. Mike’s shoulders go rigid. Josh glances at Patrick before looking back at me.
No one answers right away.
That’s an answer enough.
I set my coffee down.
“Don’t do that,” I say, my voice even. “Don’t decide, I don’t need to know.”
Patrick steps closer, slow and deliberate. “We’re handling it.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
A beat.
His jaw tightens slightly before he nods once. “The car’s back.”
There it is.
I don’t react right away.
I let it settle.
“Where?”
“Closer,” Mike says from the window. “End of the drive this time. Didn’t even try to hide it.”
My fingers press lightly into the counter behind me. “Same one?”
Josh nods. “Same.”
Silence stretches for a second, heavy but controlled.
“What did you do?” I ask.
Mike lets out a short breath. “We’re about to.”
Josh straightens. “We’re going to take a look.”
I push off the counter. “I’m coming.”
“No.”
Josh doesn’t raise his voice.
Doesn’t need to.
I look at him. “I’m not staying inside while you go out there.”
“It’s not safe.”
“It’s a car at the end of the driveway.”
“It’s someone watching you,” Mike cuts in.
“That doesn’t change what I said.”
The tension shifts.
Not explosive.
Just tighter.
Patrick steps in before it goes further. “You’re not going out there.”
I hold his gaze. “I’m not hiding in my own house.”
“You’re not hiding,” he says, calm but firm. “You’re staying where we can control the situation.”
There it is.
Control.
My chest tightens, but I don’t step back.
“I’m not a situation,” I say.
“No,” he replies. “You’re the reason there is one.”
A beat.
That lands.
I exhale slowly, forcing the tension out before it builds into something bigger. “Then handle it.”
Josh is already moving.
Mike follows without another word.
The back door opens. Closes.
The house goes quieter.
Not calm.
Just… waiting.
I don’t move right away.
Drew closes his laptop softly and stands, his attention fully on me now.
“You okay?” he asks.
“I’m fine.”
The answer comes automatically.
He doesn’t call me on it.
Just steps closer, not crowding, just enough that I feel him there.
Jake shifts on the couch, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “They’re not going to do anything stupid.”
“I know.”
I do.
That’s not what this is.
I move toward the window, stopping just short of it. I don’t press up against the glass. Don’t make it obvious.
But I look.
The driveway stretches out, long and quiet, lined with trees that should feel like a privacy screen.
Today, they don’t.
I can’t see the car from here.
But I know it’s there.
My arms fold loosely across my stomach, not defensive, just grounding.
Time stretches.
A minute.
Two.
Maybe more.
Drew’s presence stays steady behind me. Jake doesn’t turn the TV on. The house holds its breath.
Then—
The door opens.
I turn before I can stop myself.
Josh and Mike step back inside.
Different.
It’s small.
Subtle.
But I see it.
Mike’s jaw is tight. Josh’s shoulders are set in a way that tells me something didn’t go the way they expected.
“What happened?” I ask.
Josh closes the door behind him. “No one inside.”
Mike drags a hand through his hair. “The engine was warm.”
My stomach tightens again.
“They were just here.”
“Yeah,” Mike says.
Silence settles, heavier this time.
I step closer. “Did you get anything?”
Josh shakes his head. “No plates. Tinted windows. Whoever it is knows what they’re doing.”
Patrick moves in then, his focus sharp. “How long?”
“Minutes,” Mike says. “We just missed them.”
That lands harder than anything else.
Minutes.
They were that close.
I feel it this time.
Not fear.
But something colder.
More precise.
“They’re testing,” I say quietly.
All of them look at me.
“Seeing how fast you react,” I continue. “How far they can push.”
Josh’s gaze sharpens. “That’s what it looks like.”
Mike nods once. “They’re getting comfortable.”
“No,” I correct. “They want you to think they are.”
A beat.
Patrick studies me. “Explain.”
“They showed themselves,” I say. “Closer than before. Then left before you got there. That’s not sloppy. That’s deliberate.”
Silence.
Then—
“Yeah,” Mike mutters. “She’s right.”
Josh exhales slowly. “They’re baiting.”
Patrick’s expression shifts, something colder settling in. “Then we don’t take it.”
The room changes again.
Not tense.
Focused.
“What now?” Jake asks.
Patrick doesn’t hesitate. “We tighten everything. No gaps. No patterns.”
Drew nods. “I’ll adjust internal systems.”
Mike glances toward the door. “I’ll sweep the perimeter again.”
Josh looks at me.
Not checking.
Not asking.
Just… making sure.
I meet his gaze.
“I’m fine,” I say.
He nods once.
Satisfied.
Patrick steps closer, his hand brushing briefly against mine before settling at my wrist. Light. Grounding.
“They don’t get closer than that,” he says.
It’s not a question.
I don’t pull away.
“They won’t,” I reply.
Because now—
We’re ready for them.