In the locker room after basketball practice, Logan gathered his inner circle, still nursing bruised pride from his confrontation with Caleb.
"Carter thinks he's untouchable because of his crazy dad," he fumed, pacing between the rows of lockers. "But everyone has weaknesses."
Their plan emerged: lure Aaliyah to the abandoned boathouse by the lake using Zoe Wilson's stolen phone to text her about an emergency. Once isolated, they'd teach her a lesson about challenging the established order. Ethan would disable the nearby security cameras, Brock brought brass knuckles, while Trey produced a crowbar with malicious anticipation.
"Nothing permanent," Logan clarified with chilling casualness. "Just enough so she understands her place."
Unbeknownst to them, the janitor emptying trash nearby—an elderly veteran Caleb had befriended—overheard enough to understand the threat. Within an hour, Caleb received a phone call with the details of their plan.
The following afternoon, Aaliyah received an urgent text from Zoe claiming she was in trouble at the boathouse and needed help immediately. Despite Caleb's warnings about traveling alone, Aaliyah made a split-second decision driven by loyalty to her friend: Zoe needs help now, she texted her father. Meeting her at boathouse. Will call if trouble.
The path to the lake cut through a secluded wooded area as evening shadows lengthened. Calling her father for backup would take too long if Zoe truly was in danger.
Halfway there, Aaliyah's combat awareness, recently sharpened by Caleb's training, alerted her to footsteps behind her. She quickened her pace, turning down an unfamiliar alley as a shortcut, only to find it was a dead end. As she turned to retreat, Logan and his friends appeared at the alley's entrance, silhouettes backlit by the streetlamp.
"Worried about your friend?" Logan called with mock concern. "Don't worry, Zoe's fine. Can't say the same about you, though."
They advanced slowly, Brock slapping the crowbar rhythmically against his palm. Aaliyah backed against the brick wall, mentally calculating escape options just as Caleb had taught her.
She reached for her phone, but Ethan smirked. "No signal. I've got a jammer. Nobody's coming to help you."