"Brent Delgado, keep this up and I'm calling the police!"
"The police?!"
Brent let out a cold laugh, grinning wider.
"Wake up, Maya. This is Monterra City, not Kingsport. This is my turf. The king of heaven himself could show up and he'd still have to call me daddy."
I forced a thin, cold smile and slowly reached into my pocket for the secure smartphone, dialing the only number saved in it.
"Send every industrial water cannon truck in Monterra City to Starhaven Plaza. Immediately. And seal the area."
——
The words had barely left my mouth before the crowd erupted into deafening laughter.
Brent stepped forward, snatched the secure smartphone out of my hand, and laughed even louder.
"Maya, are you out of your mind?! You pull out some fake vintage phone and make a little scare call? You think that's going to work?!"
He turned the screen toward the crowd, showing it around.
"Hey, look at this. A four-digit phone number!"
"Tell me, has anyone here ever seen a four-digit phone number in their life?!"
Another wave of piercing laughter tore through the crowd.
The amusement in Brent's eyes deepened. He grabbed my chin, fingers digging in.
"Drop the Kingsport act, Maya. That shit doesn't scare me."