Chapter 4: Blackmail and Betrayal

Just as we were laying out our plans, Caleb got a phone call.

The ringtone was one of those generic Android defaults, tinny and jarring in the cramped room. Caleb hesitated, hand hovering over the screen before he finally answered.

It was his ex-girlfriend. She got straight to the point: "Caleb, I know what you did to Brian. Don’t bother denying it."

Caleb and I were both stunned.

For a second, the only sound was the clock ticking above the fridge. Caleb’s mouth opened, then shut, eyes darting to me in silent panic.

Caleb’s face went even paler, lips trembling as he snapped back, "Stop talking nonsense! Haven’t you done enough to ruin me?"

There was a pause on the other end. Then, she played a recording.

It was a conversation between Caleb and me, discussing the details of our revenge against Brian Summers.

My heart dropped into my shoes. Static fuzzed at the edge of the audio, but our voices were clear—angry, determined, unmistakably us.

Then the woman explained, "You idiot, I was at your apartment when—"

Her voice dropped to a whisper: “You want this to stay quiet? Then you better play nice. Otherwise, everyone finds out what you did—and what you’re planning next.” The line went dead. My heart didn’t.