Cuts.
Scrapes.
A bruised, bloody mess.
Byron moved before she could protest. In one swift, furious motion, he swooped her into his arms, lifting her against his chest like she weighed nothing at all.
His body was trembling — with rage, fear and adrenaline.
Lucy caught a glimpse of Rebecca, slumped unconscious in the dirt.
"Put that bitch in the boot," she drunkenly snarled. Byron took in a deep breath as if to say he was not impressed with her attitude right now. He looked towards Damien and said "Let's get Lucy the fuck back to the mansion."
Damian jogged around to the back of the car and popped the trunk.
And that’s when they found him. The missing Driver
He was crumpled inside, unconscious but breathing. Relief was sharp and immediate — but questions slammed in harder.
How the hell had Rebecca replaced him so cleanly?
And why hadn’t they seen it?
Damian moved quickly, dragging the unconscious guard out and laying him carefully on the ground and then manhandled Rebecca into the trunk, securing her with zip ties and rope.
He slammed the boot closed with a grim satisfaction.
Then he hauled the driver — now dazed but alive — into the front passenger seat, cuffing him to the car frame.
"You even blink wrong, and I’ll rip your tongue out," Damian growled low at him.
The man slumped deeper into unconsciousness. After all, if Rebecca was willing to kill Lucy, why the hell was the driver alive, unrestrained.
Damian slid behind the wheel.
Byron cradled Lucy protectively in the backseat, keeping pressure on her wound.
Lucy was starting to fade a little, the adrenaline crash hitting her hard. Her head lolled against Byron’s chest, but she refused to black out, not yet.
They pulled into the mansion’s long driveway ten minutes later, where Corey stood waiting at the entrance, a medical kit in hand. Whilst Byron and Damian recovered Lucy, Corey had made his way back to the mansion to get prepared for when they had returned.
The second the car skidded to a stop, Corey was barking orders.
"Get her straight the fuck upstairs!" Corey snapped.
He pointed at Damien without even looking.
"Put that bitch in the basement and tie her up. You don't let her out of your sight, not for a second."
Damian yanked open the boot and slung Rebecca over his shoulder like a discarded rag doll.
“ The driver” Corey yelled towards the other doves. “Bring him down too”
Lucy blinked blearily as they rushed inside.
The world was spinning, tilting sideways.
The adrenaline was gone now, leaving only bone-deep exhaustion and a roaring pain in her ribs.