No one spoke.
Even the bikers stopped laughing.
The doors opened at the same time.
A man stepped out of the first SUV wearing a dark suit, rain sliding off his shoulders like he didn’t feel it at all. Then another. Then another.
All of them moved with controlled precision.
Mia pressed a hand to her mouth.
“I’ve seen them before…” she whispered. “Security… government-level.”
Tal tried to recover, forcing a laugh.
“So what? You called some friends?”
Elias slowly placed the phone down on the table.
His voice was different now.
Colder.
“Friends is not the word.”
One of the suited men walked toward the diner entrance. Each step made the tension sharper.
The bikers shifted uncomfortably. For the first time, they weren’t laughing.
The door opened.
A quiet bell rang.
The man in the suit stepped inside and looked directly at Elias.
“Sir,” he said respectfully. “We’re ready.”
Tal froze.
“Sir?” he repeated.
Elias finally stood up, slowly picking up his cane again.
For a moment, he looked almost gentle.
Then he turned his eyes to Tal.
And everything in his expression changed.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Authority.
“You broke something that wasn’t yours,” Elias said quietly.
Tal swallowed hard.
The biker behind him whispered, “We should leave…”
But it was too late.
The suited men had already surrounded the diner.
Elias took one step forward.
“And now,” he said, “you’re going to learn exactly who I am.”
Tal’s face drained of color as the rain outside turned into a wall of silver light.
And then—
Elias gave a single nod.
The doors opened wider.
The story didn’t end there.
It had only just begun.
