Page 148 of Hymns of the Broken

“Micah found something,” he says, voice barely above a growl. “Come on, babe. You’re safe—we’re all here.”

I step out, heart still pounding, but this time, I let them all close around me. I’m not alone. Not anymore.

The living room is tense, the air vibrating with anxiety and caffeine. Micah’s at the center, eyes glued to his laptop. Everyone’s on edge—Jasper a live wire, Riot unable to sit still, Ash and Jace crowding in.

Micah finally glances up, his voice quick and no-nonsense. “Okay, I traced the number to a burner—no real name attached, but whoever this is? They’re not amateurs.”

Jasper scowls. “So what, a stalker? A crazy fan?”

Micah shrugs. “Maybe. But this guy’s good. Covered his tracks—moved the phone, used cash, even ditched cameras twice. Smart. Calculated. Might have military or PI experience.”

Macee leans close to me. “Not real estate, Blake, then. I feel slightly better now.”

I nod in agreement. I’m glad that easedhermind a bit.

Riot paces, running both hands through his hair. “Fuck, man. Who would go this far for Sawyer?”

Ash shakes his head. “We’ve pissed off a lot of people, but this? It’s personal. Look at these shots—dude had to be inside the hotel, outside our house. He knew where to look.”

Micah clicks through images, pulling up blurry street cam footage and license plates that are too obscure to read. “Best guess? He has been planning this for weeks, possibly longer. Probably someone close—knows your habits. But nothing concrete yet.”

Jasper’s voice is sharp, defensive. “Who the hell is it then? Any names?”

Micah shakes his head. “Not yet. I’ll keep digging. But whoever it is—they’re not just obsessed, they’re patient. That’s the dangerous kind.”

Macee squeezes my hand. Riot gives me a look—protective, but helpless. For a moment, the only thing louder than the silence is the pounding of my heart.

Jace breaks the tension with a snarl. “We’ll find them. It doesn’t matter how smart they are.”

Jasper’s eyes are wild and haunted, but he covers them with steel. “Nobody touches you, Trouble. We’ll keep you safe.”

But outside the window, somewhere in the dark, he’s still watching.

And I sit and think—all this, on top of us having to head back to the bus so we can travel to the next stop on the tour—my head’s spinning before the morning even really begins. The house is a whirlwind of open suitcases, lost chargers, and Jasper barking orders to the rest of the guys like that’ll keep anything from slipping through the cracks.

Riot’s tossing drumsticks into his backpack, Ash is cursing at a zipper, and Silas is on his phone making sure the merch shipment made it to the next city. Everyone’s on edge, but trying to play it cool, like if they keep moving, maybe the shadows will stop creeping in.

We’re barely out the door when the manager’s phone rings—loud and sharp, slicing right through the tension. Silas steps out onto the porch, voice dropping low, while the rest of us pause mid-chaos, all that nervous energy suddenly twisting tighter.

He comes back a minute later, face pale, and says, “Change of plans. I just got off the phone with the venue director. Next venue in Salt Lake City? It burnt to the ground last night. The fire marshal says it was arson. The place is completely gone.”

The roomgoes still. For a second, nobody knows what to say.

Jace whistles under his breath. “That’s wild. Out of nowhere.”

Ash’s eyes flick to the window. “Convenient timing, huh?”

Riot leans into Jasper’s space, half-joking, but his voice is tight. “You think it’s got anything to do with the stalker? Maybe they wanted to keep us here.”

Jasper’s mouth is a hard line, thinking. But Silas shakes his head. “Doubt it. Venues burn down all the time—because of bad wiring, angry ex-employees. Not everything is about us.”

Micah doesn’t even look up from his laptop. “Insurance scam. I’ll put money on it.”

The manager sighs. “Well, we’re stuck for at least a week while they work out a replacement. Maybe that’s safer, with everything going on.”

Jasper finally looks at me, softer this time. “We stay put. The bus isn’t going anywhere.”

Riot throws an arm around my shoulders. “More time for you to kick our asses at Mario Kart. Or, you know, hang out in a place where the walls don’t move.”