Chapter 13: Shaken Ground
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For a week, Shaya had done everything HHM told him. The phone stayed in the drawer at night, his check-ins were honest, and the quiet in his head felt strange but good almost like breathing fresh air after years underground. He thought maybe this was the turning point.

Then the calls started again.

It was a Thursday afternoon when the first unknown number lit up. “You think you can disappear?” a cold voice said. “Money doesn’t just vanish. Fix this or we fix you.” The line went dead before Shaya could answer. By evening there were two more calls, then a text with nothing but a picture of his car outside his house. His hands shook so badly he could barely pick it up. He wanted to reach for the hidden phone, to drown the panic the old way but the phone wasn’t there. HHM’s voice was in his ear instead: Breathe. Face it. Don’t run to numb the fear.

That night he sat at the table pretending to learn, but the Gemara’s words blurred into black streaks on white paper. Leah noticed his pale face. “Everything okay?” she asked softly. He forced a smile. “Just tired.” She didn’t press, but her eyes followed him as he walked to the bedroom. At midnight, another call came. “You have forty-eight hours. Don’t make us come find you.” Shaya sat on the edge of the bed, heart pounding, sweat dripping down his back. The old cravings hit like a punch to the gut that desperate urge to escape, to click and scroll until the fear went quiet.

He stared at the locked drawer across the room, breathing hard. Then he grabbed his other phone the one HHM knew about and dialed.
“HHM? It’s bad. They’re coming after me.” The mentor’s voice was steady. “I hear you. Don’t do this alone. Don’t hide. Tomorrow morning we meet. We’ll figure this out.” Shaya hung up, still trembling, but something was different. He hadn’t escaped. He hadn’t hidden. He had called for help instead. The fear was still there, loud as ever but for the first time, he wasn’t drowning in it completely.

The ground beneath him was shaking, and he knew the storm wasn’t over. But at least now, he wasn’t facing it in the dark.

Chapter 14: The Plan
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Shaya arrived early at HHM’s house, gripping the steering wheel like it might keep him from falling apart. He hadn’t slept. The cold morning air bit at his face as he walked up the path. HHM opened the door before he even knocked.

Inside, the table was already set with two steaming mugs of tea. HHM sat down, no notebook this time, just steady eyes.
“Tell me everything,” he said.
Shaya did. The threats, the photo of his car, the knot in his stomach so tight he could barely breathe.

HHM listened without interrupting, then leaned back. “This is bigger than you can handle alone. We need a plan two plans, actually. One for these men. One for your own fight.”

First, the outside threat.
“You need legal help,” HHM said firmly. “Someone who knows what’s real and what’s just intimidation. I know a lawyer who’s discreet and honest. You’re going to call him today. No waiting, no excuses.”
Shaya swallowed hard. Just the thought of explaining everything to a stranger made him feel sick, but he nodded.

Second, the inside battle.
HHM spoke carefully. “These late-night habits aren’t just a side issue. They make you weaker. You’re foggy, anxious, hiding, so you make worse decisions. We need stronger guardrails.”
He laid them out clearly: Shaya would add a second layer of filters, share his check-ins earlier in the day, and start meeting HHM in person every week, not just on the phone.

Finally, Leah.
HHM’s tone softened. “You don’t have to tell her everything right now. But she knows something’s wrong. If you keep shutting her out, you’ll break her trust and you need that trust more than ever. Start small. Tell her you’re under pressure with some bad business deals and you’re getting guidance. Let her feel you’re not alone.”

Shaya felt his stomach twist. “And if she asks questions?”
“Then you answer what you can without lying. Hiding has been your enemy. Honesty is your ally now.”

They ended with a short tefillah, HHM’s voice steady, almost fatherly. As Shaya walked to his car, the threats were still real, the fear still sharp. But there was a map now and someone walking with him.