It was difficult advice to follow. Every accusation about her father felt like someone taking the last private part of him and putting it in a stranger's mouth. There were evenings when she stared at the documents until her eyes hurt and wanted to drive to West Haven herself to demand that Harlon say it all to her face. Instead she called Callum, who told her what the next legal step would be, or she went to the garage, where there was always a machine whose problem could at least be investigated with her hands.
The navy sedan continued to appear for another two weeks. Tulloch did not approach Willa, but he followed the same route past her bakery and once parked outside the diner where the club ate breakfast on Sundays. Fig logged the sightings and gave the details to Callum, who documented the concern and advised that Willa report any direct harassment. Reese made it clear to the club that nobody was to confront the investigator or damage his car. He wanted a case that could survive daylight, not a story Harlon's lawyers could turn into a warning about dangerous bikers.
The instruction tested Sark's patience. "So we just let him sit there?" he asked one evening.
"We let him do exactly what the law allows," Reese replied. "And we make sure we're just as careful. A man paid to watch a building is not proof of a threat. A man crossing the line can be dealt with through people whose job it is to deal with it."
Sark looked at the street for another minute, then went back to his work. He did not like the answer. But he respected that Reese had given an answer he was prepared to follow himself.
Two weeks after the filing, the sedan stopped appearing. Aldis confirmed that Tulloch had left town, although he could not establish whether the change was connected to the lawsuit, the garage's careful documentation, or the simple fact that his contract had ended. Reese told Willa only what they knew. She nodded and admitted that she could now look out the front window without first checking the parked cars. She had not realized how much energy the checking had consumed until she stopped doing it.
The first offer to settle arrived through Callum's office. It proposed a confidential payment, a release of claims, and a written agreement that Willa would not publicly dispute the transfer of the shop. The amount would have been enough to pay her debts and support her for a while, but it did not restore the business, require an accounting, or correct the central record. Callum explained the advantages and risks without pushing her either way.