“You see that?” she asked quietly, looking at Wade.
“What?” he snapped.
“They’re still afraid of you.”
Wade straightened slightly, mistaking the statement for victory.
Then she finished:
“But they’re starting to hate you more.”
That landed.
Hard.
Because fear survives only while people believe resistance is hopeless.
And tonight, for the first time in years, hope had entered Oak Hollow.
Outside, more vehicles rolled into town.
State investigators.
Financial crimes personnel.
Internal Affairs.
The machine kept growing.
Wade heard it happening.
Doors opening.
Radios crackling.
Footsteps multiplying through hallways he once controlled.
And something primitive finally began crawling into his chest.
Not authority.
Not rage.
Dread.
—
Across town, people had started gathering beneath awnings and gas station overhangs despite the storm.
Nobody said much openly.
But everyone watched the road leading toward town hall.
Old Mrs. Kessler from the bakery stood beside two mechanics from the auto shop.
June from Ruby Lane held coffee cups in shaking hands while veterans clustered silently beneath the diner's neon sign.
Fear had isolated Oak Hollow for years.
Now curiosity was pulling it back together.
“Think they’re really arresting him?” someone whispered.
An older rancher shook his head slowly.
“Men like Wade don’t get arrested.”
But his voice lacked conviction now.
Because deep down, the town could feel it.
The balance had shifted.
—
Inside town hall, Wade suddenly shoved the warrant packet off the table.
Pages scattered across the floor.
“This is political garbage!” he roared. “You think some Navy girl walks into my town and tears down everything?”
Nobody flinched except the youngest deputy.
Tessa remained perfectly still.
Then she asked a question so calm it felt surgical.
“How many people disappeared because they were inconvenient?”
Wade froze.
Tiny movement.
Barely visible.
But everyone saw it.
One federal investigator slowly looked up from his notes.
The room changed instantly.
Not because of proof.
Because instinct recognized truth before logic caught up.
Wade recovered fast.
Too fast.
“You got no idea what you’re talking about.”
Tessa took one slow step toward him.
“No,” she said.
“I think I finally do.”
She opened another file.
“Daniel Mercer.”