That night the garage's social media account received another message. It contained a photograph of the rear service entrance taken after Walsh replaced its lock, along with the words, "New doors don't change old habits." Miller forwarded it to Ruiz and refused to respond. His phone felt heavy in his hand, and he wanted more than ever to locate whoever was sending the messages.
He called Jojo instead and asked him to come help close the shop. Together they rolled down the front shutters, checked that the day's work had been properly logged, and turned off the lights in the order they had followed for years. The actions were ordinary and almost painfully slow, but doing them together was a choice. Denny's people had tried to make them feel hunted in their own building, and Miller would not let that feeling become a reason to abandon it.
"You know what I hate most?" Jojo asked as they reached the parking lot. Miller waited. "He made me look at my daughter's picture and think about somebody else's intentions instead of the music she was playing." His voice broke slightly on the last words, and he looked away.
Miller put a hand on his shoulder. "Then let's make sure you get to hear the next recital," he said. They stood in the cooling air until the streetlights came on, both men listening to the distant sounds of traffic. Neither mistook the night for safe, but neither was willing to surrender the future to the person who had frightened them.
Denny Ross made his first public statement on Wednesday afternoon. He appeared in a short video outside a low brick building that housed the office of his parts brokerage, wearing a spotless leather vest and standing beside two men who did not speak. He said he had been unfairly blamed for a dispute involving the Steel Vultures and claimed Miller was trying to destroy a competitor by linking him to an unrelated burglary. He described himself as a businessman who had spent years avoiding conflict and asked his supporters not to react to provocation.
Miller watched the video once, then closed it. He recognized the old rhythm of Denny's voice, the careful pause before an accusation, the habit of presenting a threat as a request for peace. The words were polished enough that somebody who knew nothing about the past might find them reasonable. That, Miller suspected, was the point.
Jojo arrived from the service bay with his phone already in his hand. "He's making us look like the ones chasing him," he said. Miller told him to give the video to Ruiz and avoid replying to the comments. Jojo wanted to know whether they would ever answer publicly. "When we can answer with facts that hold up after everybody stops shouting," Miller replied.