Page 73 of Release You

“Please know that I tried to help Lisa, but by the time I recovered, the police already had her in custody. The news was already showing all the gruesome details, and Lisa was the main suspect. By then, I knew exactly what I was dealing with. I had to play it smart.” She looked down at her hands. “For Henry. And even you. I hid James’s original will and replaced it with a duplicate. That’s the one Jonathan found in the safe. I called the bank and had Mr. Paredes come here in person to collect my jewelry and getaway money. He’d always been a loyal friend. I knew he would help me, but I also knew that if I got him involved, Francesca would somehow get rid of him. I didn’t want any more people suffering over this. So I simply gave him a box to take with him. He left me a key and left without even asking what the contents were.”

“Why did Jonathan send someone to hurt Henry?” I asked.

“No. He wouldn’t do that.”

“Well, someone did, Tessa.”

She shook her head. “Guilt had been eating at him. He was the one who helped me escape after Henry showed up at the manor.”

“If he did, how are you still here?”

“I couldn’t leave, knowing you and Henry were in danger. I came back for the key, but it was gone.”

“I took it.” I sighed

“I kept it there, always ready in case I had a chance to escape.” She rubbed her temple. “Francesca and her men caught up to me before I reached the gardens. And now here I am. Back where I started.”

“Francesca deserves to rot in jail for what she did to your family and mine,” I said through gritted teeth.

“You have no idea what she’s capable of. Even Jonathan is afraid of her.” She cradled her cheek.

Yeah, I’d seen that fear register on his face the day of the gala, but I didn’t recognize it for what it was. What did she have over him? How had she gotten him to do all the terrible things he’d done to Henry? It didn’t matter that Jonathan hadn’t been the one to strike his brother. He’d been there, and he hadn’t stopped it. He was as guilty as Francesca.

“Well, I’m not afraid of her. We’re going to get out of here, Tessa. You deserve to see your son again. And I know he’s been dying to get you back.”

“How is he? What is he like?” She let out a sad laugh, wiping her nose.

“Well, he’s still Henry. Very stubborn and…” Incredibly hot.“And kind and generous. All the pain he’s suffered didn’t change him, not where it counts, anyway.”

“He still loves you, doesn’t he?” She stroked my hair. “I’m sorry Jonathan sent him away, but it was for the best. He was too young to go against Jonathan and Francesca. I begged Jonathan to keep him safe. He was at least able to give me that much.”

I turned away from her. Knowing Henry and I couldn’t have a life together ever…it would never happen. As much as I hated Jonathan for what he did to us, I knew Tessa had done the right thing. But had I made a mistake sending him away today?

“Henry is not that kid anymore, Tessa. He can hold his own against these vultures.”

“My heart leaped out of my chest the day I saw him in the garden. He looked all grown up and handsome—so much like James. He didn’t blame me for what happened. He was concerned. Who knows what Francesca would’ve done if he’d tried to rescue me?” She brought up a shaky hand to cover her mouth.

“We tried. But you were gone. Why did you tell them about Henry? Were you afraid he might get caught?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I should’ve known Henry would never stop. Now that you’re here, he’ll come after them.”

“I don’t know about that, Tessa.” I rubbed my chest to ease the pain.“I hurt him to push him away. After I heard the recording, I thought it would be best if Jonathan didn’t have any leverage over Henry. I wanted Henry to be free of his uncle so he could save Lisa and himself.”

“Hipolita, that’s not going to work. He loves you too much. Even when you were kids and you thought you didn’t deserve him because you were the help, as you said.” She squeezed my hand. “Do you remember when you first got here? How many times did you push him away when he tried to make friends with you? Did it work? Were you able to dissuade him from wanting to be around you?”

No. It hadn’t worked. He won me over with hot chocolate and fake clandestine adventures. Even then he’d known exactly what I needed to get over my grief. But this was different. I cut him deep this time, using his fears against him. All I could hope for was that he would do right by Lisa.

“The name is Nikki Swift now.” I took in a deep breath.

“I didn’t know that.” She smiled. “When did that happen?”

“Shortly after I left here. But that doesn’t matter. Whatmatters is that just like Henry, I’m not a kid anymore, and I have certain skills that can help us get out of here.” I grabbed the emergency pack off the belt wrapped tight around my thigh. “Come on. Our best shot is to use the door that leads to the gardens.”

In the darkness of the corridor, we had no way of knowing what time of day it was or how long we had until Francesca and her goons came back with more sedatives or, worse, a gun.

When we reached the end of the tunnel, I sat on my haunches and got to work on the lock. The deadbolt was on the inside, but there was also a lock on the doorknob outside. How many times had Tessa tried to escape before they decided to reinforce their security?

Luckily, they hadn’t bothered changing the locks since the last time we were here. I closed my eyes and pushed on the pins, listening as each one fell into place with a quiet click. After the final pin lined up just right, I turned the doorknob and flipped the deadbolt. The heavy door squeaked open, and I peeked through the small gap. The scent of the shrub right outside wafted in. Freedom was just fifty feet away.

---