Chapter 6 - The Shadow in OakhavenThe next morning, Darren didn't leave Oakhaven.
Instead, he checked into the town’s only motel—a run-down establishment with flickering neon signs and lumpy mattresses—and spent his morning sitting across the street from the bakery in his rented sedan.
He watched Mara open the shop at 6:00 AM. He watched local townspeople greet her with warm smiles, treating her with the deep, abiding respect of a woman who had earned her place in the community through sheer grit and honesty.
At 8:00 AM, Nina skipped out the front door with a bright yellow backpack, heading down the sidewalk toward the local elementary school.
Darren started his engine, intending to follow at a safe distance just to make sure she arrived safely.
Before he could pull out of the motel parking lot, a sleek black SUV tore around the corner of Main Street, tires screeching against the gravel. It didn't belong in Oakhaven. It was a high-end luxury vehicle with tinted windows and out-of-state plates—the kind of car that screamed corporate muscle or worse.
The SUV slowed down sharply as it passed Nina on the sidewalk.
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The passenger-side window rolled down an inch.
Darren’s instincts—honed by years of corporate espionage and ruthless rivalries—flared instantly. That car shouldn't be here.
