The room felt colder than before.
Not because of the air.
But because of what Jayden now knew.
Jayden sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.
Still.
Quiet.
But his mind—
Was loud.
Too loud.
"They didn't just grab her…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…they planned it."
The car.
The timing.
How fast everything happened.
How smooth it was.
Too smooth.
Jayden leaned back, eyes narrowing.
"Dre…"
The name left his mouth slowly.
Like he didn't want it to be true.
He stood up abruptly, pacing.
"No… no, that don't make sense…"
But it did.
Too much sense.
Dre was there.
Dre knew where he was.
Dre knew about Amara.
Dre knew everything.
"He wouldn't…"
Jayden shook his head.
"That's my guy."
Years.
Trust.
Loyalty.
History.
You don't just throw that away.
Right?
But then—
Another thought hit.
Cold.
Sharp.
"What if he already did?"
Jayden stopped pacing.
Because deep down—
He already knew.
Jayden grabbed his phone.
Dialed.
Dre.
It rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
"Yeah."
Same voice.
Same tone.
Like nothing happened.
Jayden stayed calm.
Too calm.
"You hear from them?" he asked.
A pause.
Short.
But noticeable.
"Yeah," Dre replied. "They sent something?"
Jayden's eyes hardened slightly.
So he knew.
"They got her," Jayden said.
"I know," Dre replied.
That was it.
That was all Jayden needed.
Jayden laughed.
Once.
Dry.
No humor.
"You move fast," he said.
Silence on the other end.
Then—
"What you mean?"
Jayden shook his head slowly.
"Don't do that."
"I trusted you," Jayden said.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it was heavy.
Real.
Dre didn't respond immediately.
Because there was nothing to say.
"You really think I had a choice?" Dre said finally.
Jayden's jaw tightened.
"There's always a choice."
"Not this time."
"They were already on you," Dre continued. "You just didn't see it."
"I saw enough," Jayden replied.
"Not like I did," Dre said. "You think you can just walk away from this life? Like it's nothing?"
Jayden didn't answer.
"I was trying to survive," Dre added.
"And this is how you do it?" Jayden snapped. "By setting me up?"
Silence.
Again.
"You gave them Amara," Jayden said.
Not a question.
A fact.
Dre exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
Jayden closed his eyes.
For a second—
Everything stopped.
All the noise.
All the thoughts.
All the anger.
Then—
It came back.
Stronger.
"You put her in this," Jayden said.
"So did you," Dre replied.
That hit.
Hard.
But Jayden didn't react.
Not yet.
"They gave you something to do, right?" Dre asked.
Jayden didn't answer.
"That's how this works," Dre continued. "You handle it… she walks."
"And if I don't?"
"You already know."
Jayden leaned against the wall.
Thinking.
Fast.
Cold.
"You setting me up to die?" he asked.
Dre didn't deny it.
"I'm giving you a chance."
Jayden laughed again.
"That's not a chance."
"It's the only one you got," Dre said.
Silence.
Then—
The call ended.
Jayden stood there.
Phone still in his hand.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
Just… processing.
"I don't even know her…"
The thought came back again.
Stronger this time.
"She's not your responsibility."
"You didn't ask for this."
"You didn't choose this."
Her face.
From the video.
Her eyes.
The way she stayed strong.
The way she didn't panic.
"You brought her into this."
Jayden clenched his fists.
Tight.
Painfully tight.
"Yeah…"
This time—
He didn't deny it.
He grabbed his jacket.
Walked toward the door.
Stopped.
Looked back.
At everything.
His space.
His life.
The little peace he had left.
"This ain't about me anymore…"
His voice was low.
But clear.
Jayden opened the door and stepped out.
Because now—
It wasn't about whether he trusted Dre.
Or whether he could walk away.
It was about one thing:
Whether he was ready…
To risk his life—
For someone he was never supposed to care about.