Chapter 31: Retaliation

The car roared through the empty streets, headlights slicing through the darkness. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Ava's pulse was still racing from the confrontation at the library. They managed to escape, but she knew Collins would not back down. Not now, when they were so close to exposing everything. Lucas kept his eyes on the road, his jaw set with determination. "We need a new plan," he said briefly. "Collins knows where we are. We can’t stay in one place for long." Jess was in the backseat, typing furiously on her laptop. “I’m monitoring the live feed. The news outlets are running our story, but Collins is trying to bury it with his narrative. We need to do more to keep the focus on our evidence.” Ryan, seated beside her, looked over. “How? Collins has much power and is not afraid to use it.” Detective Diaz, sitting next to Ava, spoke up. “We need to get this evidence directly into the hands of the people who can act on it—senior law enforcement, prosecutors,