Page 152 of Scars Run Deep

“I’m working to bring you back, to make it safe.”

“No more.”

“What? No, I’m not stopping, Dad. No way.”

“It all ends tonight. Ronan is one of mine. He’s going to get you out of there. Allow him to do his job. He’ll keep you safe.”

“I don’t need it. I’m not the girl you remember and—”

“They’re coming, angel. Right now. You need to get out immediately.”

“Who’s coming?”

“The Infidels.”

“I don’t… no. Tonight is—”

“I know what tonight is. But things don’t always go according to plan. Not even Asher’s carefully crafted ones could predict a curveball like what’s occurred tonight.”

“Asher? How do you know about that? A plan? Tonight?”

“We’ve been in contact.”

My stomach lurched. “What? Just now?”

“No. For weeks.”

“He wouldn’t do that. He would’ve told me.”

“These boyfriends of yours aren’t what they seem. They’ve corrupted you, they’ve manipulated you, and because you’re there in their home right now, they’ve just put a target on your back for the Head Infidels.”

I scrubbed my hand over my face, trying to get a handle on all of the sudden and brutal information.

He didn’t give me a chance to even begin to make sense of it, as he said, “You’ll be with me soon. I’ll take you away from all of this. You’ll be safe. Everything’s going to be okay, Aurora. I’m here now. It’s all over.”

Before I could respond, he spoke again in a different, commanding tone, “Ron, get her out. Now. Three minutes until they breach the Hexwood border. Take the path we discussed. Use the Audi the boys kept of Liv’s.”

The Audi? He’d arranged for Killian to take it that night?

“Got it, Lan. See you soon.”

“Godspeed.”

With that, he hung up.

Gone.

Just like that.

Again.

As Ronan put his phone away, I stared aimlessly.

His hand on my arm startled me out of it. “Head to the main garage. Move quickly, but not hastily. Don’t draw the attention of the guards. They’re under Asher’s orders, they won’t permit you leaving. They don’t have the information that Lan and I do to make a different call.”

“How do you even know then? Asher’s plugged in, aware of every little thing.” Much more than I even realized obviously with him being in contact with my dad all this fucking time.

“One of Lan’s plants got wind of an errand Samuel Carmichael was tasked with running tonight. That errand is to bring you in as a doll to be auctioned along with the rest. It’s a Hail Mary move to draw Lan out.”

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