The cold metal against my temple transported me back to a nightmarish moment in my past. I remained frozen, my breaths shallow, and a haunting familiarity seeped into my consciousness. But this time, it couldn't possibly be Bruce. He was gone, lost to the darkness of that fateful night.
As fear gripped me, I began to plead with the stranger, my voice shaky yet resolute. "Please, just leave me alone. I don't want any trouble."
The stranger's response was a low, menacing growl, his anger palpable. "You've been poking your nose where it doesn't belong, Evie. You should've listened to the warnings."
Desperation fueled my words as I explained, "I can't stay out of Stella's murder case. I need to find the truth, for Timothy's sake."
My defiance seemed to stoke the stranger's anger further. "
