The moment they reached the safe house, nobody spoke. The silence was thick and heavy, like it was stuck in their throats. Ella walked in first. She dropped her bag on the couch and rubbed her forehead.
Ben followed slowly. He looked overwhelmed. Lucas came last, closing the door with a quiet click that sounded too loud.
Reed was already inside. He stood.
"What happened?" he asked. His voice was rough.
Ella looked around like she expected Rita to jump out of a corner.
"We saw her," Ella said. "With a man. Someone she is scared of."
Reed frowned. "Rita isn't scared of anyone. She could walk into fire and insult it."
"Well, she was scared today," Lucas said. He dropped his laptop on the table and opened tabs fast. "This guy has real power. He knows it."
Ben moved to the window and looked outside. "This is bigger than Rita. She is mixed with people she can't handle. That means danger for all of us."
Ella swallowed hard. "She was arguing with him. He threatened her. She tried to stand tall but she was shaking. I've never seen her like that."
Reed slowly sat. "If she's scared, we should be terrified."
Ella shook her head. "No. We are not walking away. I refuse to be scared of her or whoever she works with."
Ben turned. "Ella. Being brave is fine. Being reckless gets people hurt."
Ella winced. "I am not being reckless. I am tired. Tired of hiding. Tired of waiting for her to ruin my life."
Lucas looked up. "You have a right to feel that. But we need a clear mind now."
Ella groaned, sitting on the edge of a chair. "Then tell me what to do. Everything feels like it's falling apart."
Ben crouched in front of her. "You let us handle it. Stay with us. We figure it out step by step."
Ella whispered, "You think she is planning something big?"
"I know she is," Ben said. "We need to be ahead of her."
Lucas's laptop beeped. He stared at the screen.
"Oh no. She posted something."
Ella's stomach dropped. "What did she post?"
Lucas showed them. Rita was in a parking lot, pretending to cry, pretending to be hurt. The caption read:
"Sometimes the people you trust most betray you. I'm tired of hiding what they did to me."
Ben cursed. "She is flipping the story again."
Reed muttered, "She is starting another fire."
Ella stood fast. "She is trying to ruin me. She wants people to think we attacked her."
Lucas clicked fast. "Comments are spreading. People believe her. Again."
Ella grabbed the table to steady herself. "Why does she always do this to me?"
Ben stepped in front. "Ella, breathe. Look at me."
She lifted her head, eyes watery. "She keeps taking control. No matter what we do, she twists it."
Reed ran his hand through his hair. "We need to release proof. Something to counter this."
Lucas shook his head. "Not yet. If we hit back too fast, she will say we are bullying her. We need to be smart."
Ella whispered, "I cannot lose control again."
Ben held her hand. "You are not losing control. She is scared. That is why she posted this."
Ella shut her eyes. She could see Rita with the man. Hear fear in her voice.
"She is hiding something. Something serious."
Lucas nodded. "Exactly. She is trying to distract everyone before it comes out."
Reed sat forward. "So what now?"
Ben looked at all of them. His jaw tightened. "Now we get ahead of her. No more waiting."
Ella stepped back. "Explain."
Ben pointed at Lucas. "Find out who that man is. I don't care how long it takes."
Lucas nodded. "Already on it."
Ben pointed at Reed. "Keep track of every post, message, reaction. I want alerts the second she moves."
Reed nodded. "Done."
Ben turned to Ella. "You stick with me. Don't go anywhere alone. Not until I know who that man is and what he wants."
Ella muttered, "Ben, you cannot control everything."
"I'm not trying to control. I am protecting you," he said.
Ella looked away, then nodded. She hated it but understood.
Lucas's laptop beeped again, louder.
He froze. "Guys… you need to see this."
Ella's breathing quickened. "What now?"
Lucas turned the screen. It was a picture, posted seconds ago. Rita stood in front of the warehouse. The same warehouse they had just been at.
Caption:
"They are stalking me. I do not feel safe. If anything happens to me, you know who did it."
Ella's heart dropped.
Ben stared. His face hardened.
Reed whispered, "She knows. She knows we followed her."
Lucas muttered, "Someone saw us. Or she guessed. Either way, this is bad."
Ella stepped back, hand over her mouth.
"She is turning the whole thing on us."
Ben looked at the screen again, then at Ella. Calm but dangerous:
"This is not a game anymore. She is dragging us into something dark. And it starts now."
Ella whispered, "What do we do?"
Ben answered without hesitation.
"We fight back. Hard. And we start tonight."