Chapter 44
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The psychological warfare escalated immediately after the disastrous meet-and-confer. Victor Thorne realized that his expensive legal team could not intimidate the clinic student, so he resorted to the tactics of a desperate, cornered predator. He tried to bring the war to her front door.
It was late on a Thursday night. Lily had just finished a grueling study session at the law library and was walking the three blocks to her apartment. The city streets were quiet, the streetlamps casting long, flickering shadows on the wet pavement.
As she approached the entrance of her building, the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood up.
It was a primal instinct, honed by years of survival. She didn't turn around immediately. She slowed her pace, subtly glancing at the reflection in the glass door of the local coffee shop she passed.
Parked illegally near the corner, entirely blacked out with heavily tinted windows, was a large SUV. Its engine was idling quietly.
Lily stopped at the entrance of her apartment building and turned to face the street. She didn't run. She didn't panic. She pulled her phone from her pocket, walked deliberately to the edge of the curb, and raised the camera.
The flash illuminated the dark street, capturing the license plate of the SUV perfectly.
The moment the flash went off, the SUV's engine roared to life. The tires squealed aggressively against the wet asphalt as the vehicle sped away, disappearing into the city traffic.
Lily stood perfectly still on the curb, her heart beating in a steady, controlled rhythm. She walked into her building, locked her apartment door securely, and immediately opened a secure messaging app on her phone.
She sent the photograph of the license plate to Grant, along with a short text.
I picked up a tail tonight. Black SUV. Can you run the plates?
Less than two minutes later, her phone vibrated with a reply from Grant.
May you like
Running them now. Make sure your deadbolt is thrown. I'll have an answer in ten minutes, and I'm sending a local associate to sit on your street for the night. You are not alone.
Lily locked the deadbolt, feeling a profound wave of gratitude. Thorne thought he could terrorize her in the dark, but he had absolutely no idea who he was dealing with.
