"Where are you?"
Jay's voice came out controlled, but there was an edge beneath it now, something sharper than usual.
"I'm at the restroom," Asher replied.
There was a pause.
"Stay there."
The call ended.
Jay lowered the phone slowly, his expression tightening for just a second before smoothing out again. He didn't sit back down. He didn't think twice.
He stood.
The chair shifted slightly behind him as he moved, his steps already set, steady and direct. The hallway felt longer than usual, the quiet heavier, broken only by the faint sound of distant movement from other departments.
By the time he reached the restroom door, his jaw had already set into something firm.
He pushed it open.
The smell hit first.
Smoke.
Not strong, but enough.
Jay's eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped inside, the door closing behind him with a soft click. His gaze moved across the space quickly, landing on the one thing that didn't belong.
Asher.
Sitting on the floor.
