“Thank you,” I mumble. I sit there for a few minutes, watching the steam from my cup curl up and disappear. Heather busies herself at the sink like she’s giving us space on purpose. Micah keeps glancing at me.
“What are we going to do?” I ask finally. The words feel weak the moment they leave my mouth.
Micah exhales and leans back in his chair, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I…” He trails off, jaw tightening. “I don’t know.”
My stomach drops. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only honest one I’ve got.”
“They can’t just—” I stop myself, fingers tightening around the mug. “They can’t justtakehim, and that’s it. There has to be something. Lawyers. Press.Someone.”
Micah’s eyes soften, and I hate that look more than anything. “They threatened his life, Emma.”
I shake my head immediately. “No. They wouldn’tactuallykill him.”
“They would,” he says quietly. “And they will. Alexei, especially.”
Heather turns from the sink then, her expression grim, but she doesn’t interrupt.
Micah leans forward, elbows on the table. “This isn’t a contract dispute or some asshole label drama. This is some of the darkest shit in the criminal underworld. And Jude knew that. That’s why he left the way he did. I saw it in his face.” He pauses. “He didn’t want to go.”
I swallow hard. “So what, we just let his life disappear?”
“No,” he says quickly. “I’m not saying that.”
“Because it sounds like you are.”
He sighs again, heavier this time. “I’m saying we can’t rush in half-cocked and make it worse. We're just regular people up against literal criminals.”
My chest tightens. The idea ofworsefeels unbearable. “You’re telling me there’s nothing I can do.”
“I’m telling you there’s nothing you can doright now.”
I stare down into my coffee, the surface trembling slightly. I hadn’t noticed my hands shaking.
“I’m doing a video chat with Finnick and Kami,” Micah says. “Tomorrow night. They’re demanding answers.”
That gets my attention. I look up. “They know?”
“Not really,” he admits. “Not thefullpicture. They’ve been completely out of the loop, Em. By design.” His mouth twists. “I feel like shit about it.”
“They must be losing their minds,” I whisper.
“Yeah. Finnick especially. He keeps texting like I’m going to magically explain everything in one sentence. But I just can't. There's so much history that they don't know.”
I press my lips together. “What are you going to tell them?”
“The truth. Or as much of it as I can without putting Jude in more danger.” He pauses. “They deserve to knowsomething. Why the band is suddenly no more. The press is freaking out, and no one knows what’s going on. Adriana hasn’t issued a statement that makes sense yet. Just that Jude Graves has broken away from the band. I deleted all social media from my phone because the messages from fans were driving me fucking crazy.”
I nod slowly, even though my chest aches. “You’re all his family.”
“So are you.”
The words make my stomach hurt.
Heather finally steps in, resting a hand on my shoulder. “You need to take it easy for another couple of days,” she says gently.
“I feel like if I don’t start moving, something terrible will happen to him,” I admit.