Chapter 25: Pressing Forward

The cityscape blurred past as Lucas drove with determined focus. Ava sat in the passenger seat, her mind whirling with everything that had happened. They managed to get Martin Walsh on their side, but Collins’s men were still hunting them. They were far from safe. Walsh, sitting in the back, was still visibly shaken. His face was pale, and his hands trembled slightly. Ava turned to him, her voice steady. “Martin, are you okay?” Walsh nodded, though his eyes were wide with fear. “I’ll be fine,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “I just didn’t expect this to get so… real.” Lucas glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “It’s going to get a lot more real, Walsh. We’re in this now. No turning back.” Jess, who was riding next to Walsh, leaned forward. “We need to find a safe place to lay low and start getting your statement together,” she said. “Do you know anywhere that Collins’s people won’t think to look for you?” Walsh thought for a moment. “There’s an old cabin in