---Chapter 11The next morning, the trio awoke in the safe house, the weight of the previous night's events hanging over them like a dark cloud. Jamal stared at the worn ceiling of his room, his mind racing with what Evelyn had revealed. Marcus’s parents weren’t just dangerous—they were deeply tied to something far bigger and far more sinister.After a quick breakfast, Evelyn dropped them off a few blocks from Lincoln High.“Keep a low profile,” she advised, her tone firm. “Act normal. Blend in. And remember—if anything feels off, call me immediately.”Jamal nodded, his jaw tight with determination. “We will.”As they approached the school gates, the familiar hum of students greeted them. Jamal adjusted the strap of his backpack, feeling the surreal weight of stepping back into normalcy after everything they had just been through.Rachel scanned the bustling crowd nervously. “Do you think Marcus will show his face

---Chapter 13Jamal sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the crumpled note he’d found tucked into his locker that morning. “Stay out of it.” Three words, scrawled hastily on plain paper, but the message was loud and clear.He turned the paper over in his hands, the edges soft from where he’d folded and unfolded it a dozen times. His first instinct was to toss it into the trash and forget about it, but a deeper part of him—the part that had seen too much to back down—told him to keep it.The muffled sound of his mom humming floated in from the kitchen, breaking his train of thought. He shoved the note into his backpack and headed downstairs.“Morning, sweetheart,” his mom said without looking up as she flipped a pancake onto a plate. “Hungry?”Jamal hesitated, torn between wanting to sit and enjoy a normal breakfast and the gnawing tension in his stomach.“I’m good,” he said finally, grabbing an apple from the counter. “Not much of an appetite today.”His mom turned, narrowing her e

---Chapter 15Jamal paced back and forth in his room, the documents Evelyn had slipped him spread out across his desk. The word “Controlled Assets” glared up at him from the first page, and his mind raced as he tried to piece together the full picture. Evelyn, a detective working undercover, had risked everything to get this information to him.Now she was in danger.A sharp knock on the door startled him. Jamal quickly swept the papers into a drawer and called out, “Come in.”His mom peeked her head through the door. “Dinner’s ready, Jamal. You’ve been in here all day.”“Thanks, Mom. I’ll be down in a bit,” he replied, forcing a smile.As soon as she left, he pulled the documents back out and grabbed his phone. Rachel and Alex needed to see this.---Later that evening, Jamal, Rachel, and Alex gathered in the back corner of the local café. The place was nearly empty, the soft hum of conversation and the clinking of cups providing the perfect cover for their discussion.“These papers