72: Confused

BRIAN’S POV

I stared at my phone, tapping my fingers against the desk as the ringtone droned on for the third time. No answer. Grey wasn’t exactly the most reliable guy when it came to picking up calls, but this felt different.

The longer the silence stretched, the tighter the knot in my stomach became. He should’ve answered by now. Something wasn’t right.

I hung up and dialed again, muttering under my breath. “Come on, Grey. Pick up.”

Still nothing.

Before I could decide whether to leave another message, my phone buzzed in my hand. An unknown number lit up the screen. For a second, I debated ignoring it, but instinct told me to answer.

“This is Brian,” I said sharply.

“Brian, this is Officer Carter from the precinct.”

The name took a second to register. Carter. I’d spoken to him before—back when Angela first got arrested. His tone wasn’t urgent, but it wasn’t casual, either.

“What’s going on?” I asked, already bracing myself for bad news.

There was a pause