Calder pushed him back from the doorway, insisting Evan stand away from the windows. His voice cut through the room like a blade. “Stay out of sight.” Evan obeyed without meaning to, unsettled by Calder’s trembling hands, sharp gaze, and the unnatural way he kept glancing toward the thin morning light.
Trying to steady himself, Evan called a colleague, hoping for some hint of normalcy. The call returned only a busy signal—continuous, mechanical, and unnerving. His office never had busy lines at dawn. Evan hung up slowly, feeling the morning tilt into something unfamiliar, as if the world had quietly rearranged itself.