Page 126 of The Assignment: Room 3

“Run, run, as fast as you can, I’ll always catch you. I’m the boogey man.”

I summon the last of my strength and knee him in the balls, dropping him like stone. Grabbing my purse, I sprint for the door. This is my one chance to leave. If I don’t go now, I’ll never escape him, and I won’t bring a child into the world with the threat of Michael looming over us.

“You fucking bitch,” he shouts as he thrashes on the floor of his filthy apartment. “I will come for you, Helena, and when I do, I’ll gut you like a fucking pig.”

I don’t stop, don’t look back. I just propel myself forward, my entire body trembling as I run out of his apartment, almost falling down the stairs in my haste. When I reach my piece-of-shit car, I have to calm my breathing long enough to steady my hand and get the key in the lock.

There’s no time to break down, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on my chest as I peel out onto the street and put the pedal to the metal. It’s not until I’m on the freeway that I realize my face is wet. I touch my cheeks, tears streaming unbidden as I flee with no idea where I’m going.

Seattle has always been my home, but with a baby to consider, I know I have to leave and get as far away from Michael as possible. I won’t risk going back for my possessions—what little of them I have. He’ll be waiting for me.

I ditch the car at the first available rest stop and use what little money I have to buy a bus ticket. It doesn’t matter where as long as it’s far away from here. Adrenaline pumps hard in my veins as I wait for the bus to pull out of the station, afraid that Michael will find me before I get a chance to escape.

Finding a seat in the back of the bus, I curl in on myself, silently weeping as we start moving. I’m leaving behind everything I’ve ever known with no idea how I’m going to support myself or this life growing inside me. I’m an addict. How do I do this? I’m already getting withdrawals.

An elderly woman in front of me turns with tender compassion. “Are you okay, dear?”

I quickly wipe my tears. “She’s dead.”

Her wrinkled expression is somber. “Who?”

“Helena.” I choke out my name. I’m as good as dead. I will never utter this name again. For all intents and purposes to everyone in my life, I’m dead and gone.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Her kindness is my undoing. “What is your name, dear?”

I hesitate. Helena is dead, burned to the ground in a split second. She wasthe addict. I don’t have to be that person anymore. I can’t be, but who will rise from the ashes?

“Celest. My name is Celest.”

Chapter 24

FLEX

My pulse is racing, my heart hammering so fast I’m about to have a heart attack or something. I listen intently to the call from Celest’s phone. I’m propelled forward by pure adrenaline.

The sound is muffled, but I can hear a man’s voice in the background. My girl is smart. She’s giving me details I can work with to get to her. Gracie is crying, and all I want is to be where they are right now. I can’t even reassure her that I’m on my way. If I end the call and call back or send a text, he’ll realize she has her phone on her. I quickly pull up the app to check her location.

I’m so fucking proud of her for keeping a clear head and doing exactly what is needed to lead me straight to them. I run out of my office at Venom and through the bar. “Eli, can I borrow your phone?”

“Everything okay?”

“No. I’ll explain later.” He tosses it over the bar to me, and I sprint to the elevator. It takes forever, and the ride down to the parking garage feels like an eternity. I still have ears on Celest, and I punch Luther’s number into Eli’s phone.

“Where the fuck are you?”

“At the office, why?”

“Who is Celest’s bodyguard today?”

“Jaden.”

“The new guy! Why the fuck would you put him on Celest and Gracie?”

“He’s good at his job. Russell drove them from The Callaghan Group to Tiffany’s, then they walked around the park and came to meet you. We knew their exact movements ahead of time. Why, what’s going on?”

“If he’s so good at his job, then explain to me why I just got a call from Celest. She’s been kidnapped, along with Gracie.”

“She went inside her office building, and Jaden called to say they were inside. I told him to wait until you got there.”

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