Page 153 of The Protégé

“I got her. Now you go do your part,” Jasper said.

He laughed at whatever the other person had replied.

“Let me know when the money’s been transferred. I’m gonna finish what I should have done at the camp! Don’t worry. Her body and the car will go into a lake.”

He slammed the door and drove away. “Heading to the cabin now. Chantel there?”

My heart hammered as fear escalated. Inside the trunk, darkness surrounded me except for a sliver of light filtering in. Panic rose as I tried to figure out a way to escape.

With my teeth, I chewed on the duct tape as best I could until a small tear appeared. Hope sparked as I broke free of the restraints on my hands and legs. How could I get out of here?

Unlock it.

I wriggled my bra off and broke out the underwire. I’d never imagine I’d be grateful for my thieving skills, but right now I needed them to break out.

With nerves increasing every second, I reminded myself to remain calm.

Breathe, Elena. You can do this. Warn Orion about Jasper.

Tapping into my memory, I bent the wire and fidgeted with the lock in the trunk. It differed from a door lock, but I kept going, and when I heard the click, my heart jumped with joy.

The car slowed down and eventually stopped.

Jasper slammed the door, and I waited a beat until I didn’t hear him nearby. I pushed up the trunk and climbed out. Then I closed the trunk gently, trying my best to not make a sound. He was facing the woods to relieve himself on a remote road.

I prayed for an oncoming car to help me. I didn’t see anyone. But could I trust the next car that arrived? What if they were part of Jasper’s crew?

A set of woods greeted me on the other side of the street, and hope burst in my chest. The woods were better than dying in the trunk, so I rushed into the woods.

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

ORION

I headed toCosmic Bistro,the restaurant where my mom had been killed all those years ago. I was tired and needed to go see Elena soon.

There weren’t many customers present in the restaurant today. I entered and walked by a table with three men and nodded to them. Two women and two men dressed in dark suits occupied another table.

As a businessman, I scanned the horizon for interesting things. Details mattered. But they mattered even more to a thief.

Right now, I was confronting a man who had stolen more than money from me and my family.Jonah Reimann had cunningly misled me. He’d always been the more studious of the two brothers. Respectable to others, with good grades, and good manners, he displayed himself as an admirable citizen of society. But underneath those pretty layers lay a monster.

I hated myself for not seeing any of this sooner.

Jonah had created a chaotic financial mess for the Reimann Corporation. I was dealing with it as best I could. Jonahand Jasper would pay for hurting my mother, my father, The Condor, Kate, and Elena.

“Hey.” I walked up to the table, pulled out a chair, and folded myself into it.

“Want anything to drink?” Jonah asked. He wore a lightweight jacket over a polo shirt with dark khakis, looking polished as always.

“I’m good. Thank you.”

“So what did you want to talk about?” He looked at his watch and then at his phone.

“Thanks for making a detour to Providence before you head back to Sweden.”

“Anytime. I like this city. It’s good to catch up with my cousin.”

“There are some things that need to be resolved today.” I didn’t want to waste time. “Did you send me this text message?”

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