Axel thought about ways to try to convince the cops that Alexander was going to do something terrible to Ethan, or at least he was planning to.But nothing seemed like it would make sense to them without her looking like she was trying to run Alexander’s name and reputation into the mud.She wrapped her arms around herself, pacing again, trying to think.Her thoughts spiraled, every idea she came up with collapsed and shattered against a wall of ‘no evidence’.The police wouldn’t help her. They would probably just laugh and call it a prank, or worse, they would leak it to the Cole family.She stopped pacing only to start again.She thought for a while about her options then she remembered and quickly scrolled through her contact list for Ava’s number.She couldn’t risk telling Ethan himself. She didn’t know the protocols for these things. Besides, he had gone to the office, and she didn’t know how busy he would be.She wasn’t going to risk calling and distracting him. “Let’s let Ava

Jason nodded. He had expected that answer from Ava. He also was not willing to take such a risk.Ava paced once, her hands behind her back. “Since Alexander doesn’t have any way to track the Young Master directly, he’ll fall back to the only lead he thinks he has.”“Axel,” Jason finished her train of thoughts.“Exactly,” she nodded.“He’ll watch her. Follow her. Use her, trying to get access to the Young Master” Ava tapped the side of her thigh anxiously, trying to find a solution. “To stop that from happening, we move her.”“We have to move her, and we have to do it immediately. Before he even gets a chance to guess where the Young Master is.”Jason frowned. “How many people are you planning to send?”“A strong extraction team,” Ava replied. “Enough cars to…”“No.” Jason shook his head sharply before she finished. “If you send a heavy convoy, Alexander will notice. And if we’re trying to keep the Master hidden from him, the last thing we need is his men following a parade of SUVs

Ethan stepped into the office he was sharing with Lydia.He had been gone most of the day today, working in the Operations Control Center. Well, he was more or less familiarizing himself with the systems than working.According to Lydia, it usually took weeks if not months for the crew to let a newbie actually be that close around them.Apparently, what they did was to pile up random useless tasks, like documents that were outdated and all, and give it to the newbie to type into the system and email it to her, Lydia.They’d keep it up for a few weeks as an initiation ritual, but with him, it was different, probably because on his first day, he had helped them out with the secondary channel maneuver he did.They were already letting him work with them, even allowing him to handle a few communications.So far, it had been a really long day, and everyone was exhausted.Walking into the office, Lydia was already on her fifth coffee for the day, and that was just counting the ones he had s

Ethan left the office and made his way down the hallway, the quiet buzz of the building almost identical to the noise buzzing inside his mind. He paused briefly outside the restroom, then pushed the door open, letting the cool, sterile air wash over him and then he splashed water on his face. The cold droplets stung a bit, taking him out of his buzzing thoughts, helping him stabilize himself for the next part of his plan for the day.Originally, he intended to just confirm what Lydia would be most comfortable with getting, and then calling Ava to start working out whatever means she would need to create to make sure Lydia receives the money without raising any suspicions that are linked to him.But after the little extra chat they had about some books she had read online, he found himself having doubts about how ready he was for the role he had been thrust into.He splashed his face once more to clear up his mind a little bit more before pulling his phone from his pocket, He dialed

Ava didn’t press further after that. She just acknowledged his instructions, but not without reminding him to be careful, for his sake and the sake of everyone around him.Ethan ran a hand through his hair, absorbing her words in silence. Even though he didn’t say it out, he could feel the weight of the responsibility that actually came with being who he was.One wrong move and a lot of lives could be ruined.“I understand, Ava,” he said finally, keeping his voice calm but firm. “But some things are necessary. Or would you rather I turn a blind eye to Lydia’s condition?”Ava didn’t reply immediately, but her sigh was audible, heavy with exasperation and worry. “Just… don’t make a habit of this, Master Ethan. You’re already stretching yourself too thin, and every person you try to help becomes another risk to both of you.”“I will do as you have instructed, but I must confess, I don’t like this plan, and I don’t think you should either.”Ethan pressed his lips together, considering