Wendell reached for his phone.
No signal.
Jaylen smiled without humor.
“They brought a jammer.”
Wendell stared at him.
“How do you know that?”
“Because my radio went dead.”
The pounding came again.
Then the porch light exploded.
Lorna screamed.
Wendell stepped in front of her and Jaylen.
But Jaylen was looking at the small power box now humming on the table.
The controllers blinked one after another.
Like ants leaving signals.
Like neighbors telling the truth.
The air conditioner suddenly surged, coughed, and spat a cloud of dust.
Every light in the house went black.
Outside, both men cursed.
Then the black sedan’s alarm began screaming.
Its headlights flashed wildly.
The engine revved once by itself, then died.
From somewhere under its hood came the sharp smell of burned wiring.
Jaylen exhaled.
Wendell looked at him in disbelief.
“You disabled their car?”
Jaylen shook his head.
“No, sir.”
