The afternoon sun hung low as Mia laughed with her small group of friends outside the café near the tutoring center. They’d just finished snacks after her session with the junior kid, and the chatter flowed easily, school gossip, silly memes and weekend plans. Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she glanced at the unknown number and excused herself.“I’ll be right back,” she told them, stepping a few paces away toward the quieter side of the street.“Hello?” she answered, shielding her eyes from the sun. Static sounds crackled on the other end, then nothing. She frowned, checking the screen. The call had already dropped. That's weird. She was about to head back when a sleek black car rolled past slowly with tinted windows, expensive-looking and definitely out of place in this part of the neighborhood. The passenger window whined down just enough for her to catch a glimpse of a rough, hardened face with sharp jaw, cold eyes, a jagged scar running across one cheek. The man stared strai
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