Dominic said, "To be precise, my mom''s the one who told her to leave."

    Vespera didn''t respond.

    Dominic slid his hand around her waist and gently pulled her into hisp, his eyes shining like stars in the dark. "Because she''s getting ready to wee her future daughter-inw."

    Vespera''s breath caught.

    For a moment, her thoughts fluttered, uncertain whether what she felt was joy or panic.

    But rity came quickly. There''s no way.

    Fawn would never ept her.

    Dominic had probably been fooled by one of Fawn''s roundabout tricks, but even so, it meant he''d gone to war with Samuel and Fawn for her. Something swelled in her chest, warm, tight, and aching.

    She wanted to say something, but in the end, she couldn''t bring herself to.

    Instead, she buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes.

    Dominic gently caressed her cheek. "You don''t need to do anything. I''ll lead the way."

    "Okay," Vespera murmured.

    And thought to herself, "You idiot. A sweet, stubborn idiot who doesn''t know when to quit."

    Dominic lifted her chin and pressed his lips to her.

    ...

    That night, Dominic stayed at Vespera''s apartment.

    She went to bed early.

    With Tina''s escape, the g tomorrow, and a business trip the day after, she needed to pull herself together. A rested body was the foundation of the

    revolution. She had to sleep well.

    Dominic didn''t disturb her.

    He spent most of the night in her study.

    Just by the number of phone calls he made, it had to be at least 20.

    The final one came past midnight.

    "Mr. Reid, we''ve mostly confirmed the escape route. I''ll get her back to you as soon as possible," a voice on the other end said.

    "Appreciate it," Dominic replied, then ended the call.

    He leaned back in the chair. Only now, with thatst update, did the tension finally ease from his body.

    Late at night, a massive container truck sped down the road.

    In the cargo hold at the back, Tina sat with a scowl on her face, surrounded by four burly,

    rough-looking men, each with a face marked by hardened, violent expressions.

    They were all criminals, desperate and dangerous.

    Right now, they were drinking and tearing into meat, their eyes slowly turning lecherous as they nced her way.

    "I want to call Aunt Selena," Tina said, backing up nervously.

    When she''d first been broken out, she''d kicked up a storm, insisting she had to go back to Halewick. She had to find Luke. She had to kill Vespera and Felicia.

    But these lowlife thugs didn''t listen, and now, they were looking at her like that.

    One of them, his arm thicker than Tina''s thigh, licked his lips and stood. His breath reeked of booze as he crouched in front of her, his handnding on her leg.

    "Mrs. Locke isn''t avable to talk to you right now. You just be a good girl..."

    As he spoke, he leaned in close.

    "Ah! What are you doing? Get away from me, you disgusting pig!" Tina shrieked, pping him across the face.

    A secondter, he yanked her by the hair and pped her back hard.

    Her face felt like it had cracked open. Pain exploded in her skull, her vision blurred with stars, and blood filled her mouth with a sharp, metallic tang.

    Rough hands tore at her prison uniform...

    Her screams echoed through the metal container.

    No one knew how long the ordealsted before a phone rang somewhere nearby.

    One of the men watching from the side nced at the screen, then shouted, "It''s Mrs. Locke!"

    The man on top of Tina grunted in frustration, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. He cursed under his breath as he pulled back.

    Another man answered the call. "Mrs. Locke."

    "Aunt Selena! Aunt Selena, help me!" Tina cried, scrambling toward him, her

    clothes torn, her face streaked with tears.

    Selena''s voice came through the phone, eerily calm. "Put her on."

    The man handed Tina the phone.

    She snatched it like a lifeline. "Please

    save me, Aunt Selena! They raped

    me! Pwant to go home! I want to go back to Halewick, please

    "Tina, you can''t return to Halewick. Not yet," Selena said tly.

    "No! I have to go back! I can''t stay with them, I won''t!"