LOGINEthan had fought until his body simply refused to cooperate anymore. Even with a bullet in his arm, even pinned to the floor by men twice his size, he'd kept fighting, kept reaching for Jems, kept screaming her name. But the blood loss had been relentless, draining his strength with every passing second until his vision darkened and his body went limp against his will.Christopher had been worse. Already compromised from his previous injuries, the bullet to his thigh had been devastating. He'd dragged himself halfway up the staircase before his body gave out completely, leaving a trail of blood on the marble steps behind him.When backup finally arrived, French police units responding to Captain Miller's frantic calls, sirens wailing as they flooded the estate, they found the place devastated. Windows shattered. Doors hanging off hinges. Blood on the floors, the walls, the stairs. The officers who'd been stationed around the perimeter lay wounded, some dead.And Don Emilio's men were
The afternoon sun warmed the back garden of Château Belle-Vue, and for the first time in days, Jems was doing something outdoors. She knelt in the soft soil, carefully patting earth around a tomato seedling, her gloved hands stained with dirt. After being cooped up inside for what felt like forever, the simple act of gardening felt like freedom."Ethan," she called out, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her wrist, "where's the water? I'm so thirsty.""Coming, love," he answered, emerging from the kitchen door with two bottles of cold water.Christopher stood a few feet away, his arm still in a sling from his injuries, but alert as ever, scanning the property every second."Jems, stop calling him Ethan," Christopher said, for what felt like the tenth time that day. "It's Gerald. You need to get used to it.""Sorry," Jems said, giving a small, sheepish bow. "I'll try harder."Ethan laughed, handing her a water bottle and pressing a quick kiss to her dirt-smudged cheek. "I thin
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the French countryside estate, painting everything in warm golden light. Jems sat at the breakfast table on the terrace, taking in the breathtaking view, rolling hills covered in grapevines, the distant mountains creating a perfect backdrop, and the air so clean and fresh it almost didn't seem real.Ethan emerged from the kitchen carrying two plates of perfectly prepared omelets, setting one down in front of her with a flourish."Breakfast is served, Mrs. Roderick," he said with a playful grin.Jems laughed. "I still can't get used to that name. Kiara Roderick. It sounds so, not me.""Well, you better get used to it," Ethan said, sitting down across from her. "Captain Miller was very clear. As far as anyone in this town knows, we're newlyweds on our honeymoon. You're Kiara, I'm Gerald, and we're madly in love.""That last part isn't even a lie," Jems said softly, reaching across the table to take his hand.Ethan squeezed her fi
7:00 AM, THE MORNING AFTERMira stared at her phone, watching the minutes tick by with increasing dread. The burner phone sat on her nightstand like a coiled snake, silent but threatening.She hadn’t slept at all. How could she? Jems was gone, on a plane to France by now, safe and unreachable. Which meant Mira had failed, and that meant Don Emilio would be calling any moment.She jumped when her regular phone buzzed with a text.Jems: We just landed! France is so beautiful already. I’ll send you pictures once we get to the house. Miss you already!Mira stared at the message, tears blurring her vision. Jems was safe, free, and beyond Don Emilio’s reach. And Mira was about to pay the price for that freedom.The burner phone rang.Mira’s hands shook so badly she almost dropped it. She stared at Don Emilio’s number flashing on the screen, her heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. She couldn't not answer, as that would only make things worse. With trembling fingers, she acc
Then subtle contouring was added to make her features more masculine, such as a sharper jaw and a stronger brow. A carefully applied fake mustache looked surprisingly real. Blue contact lenses changed her hazel eyes to sky blue, and finally, a complete boy's outfit was added, consisting of designer jeans, a hoodie, and expensive sneakers. It was the kind of thing a wealthy young man might wear for comfortable travel.When the artist was done, Jems stared at herself in the mirror and barely recognized the person looking back."Wow," she breathed."No one will recognize you," the artist assured her. "Even people who know you well would walk right past you."Emily came in with a passport, which was hastily arranged through some connections Richard had. The photo showed "James Timothy.”"This feels so surreal," Jems said"You'll be safe," Emily said, hugging her carefully so as not to mess up the disguise. "That's all that matters."At 5 AM, a car pulled up outside. It was not Jems' usual
Everyone went quiet, considering."Christopher could come too," Ethan continued. "Once he's recovered from his injuries. I'd cover all the costs, of course. My family has a house in the French countryside, very secluded and very secure. She could stay there until it's safe to come home."Richard and Emily exchanged a long look, having an entire conversation with just their eyes."I think that's an excellent idea," Richard finally said."So do I," Emily agreed. "Captain Miller, what do you think?""It's a solid plan," Miller said thoughtfully. "If no one knows where she is, Don Emilio can't get to her. And France is outside his usual territory. It would buy us time to build a case against him here.""Then it's settled," Richard said. "Jems, how do you feel about this?"Jems looked at Ethan, who was smiling at her with so much love and hope, and felt her heart swell."When would we leave?" she asked."As soon as possible," Ethan said. "Maybe tomorrow morning? That gives us time to arran
Richard watched Emily pace back and forth in the hospital hallway, her hands clenched into fists, her jaw tight with tension. He'd seen her stressed before, as the past few months had been nothing but stress, but this was different. This was the kind of fear that made people do desperate things."E
"There were, there were men," Mira managed, her voice shaking. She let her genuine terror at being questioned by a police captain bleed into her words. "They had guns. They came into the room and Christopher, he, they,"She couldn't finish the sentence, because the words were stuck in her throat, t
Richard's hands were shaking as he ran them over her arms, looking for wounds, for proof that she really was okay. "Let me see, let me check," he said."Dad, stop, I'm fine," Jems said, but her voice broke on the words because seeing him like this, so scared, so desperate, so much like the father s
"I... I'd have to ask my mom," she said."Of course," Ethan said. "Call her right now. I'll give you privacy."He stepped out of the room, and Jems pulled out her phone with shaking hands. She called Emily, who answered on the second ring."Hey, baby. Everything okay?""Yeah, Mom, everything's fine







