But he didn’t wait to figure anything out.The force of the impact had already loosened the cage. It hadn’t been locked properly in the first place.He dropped out.Stumbled.Almost fell.For a second, he felt nothing.And that scared him more than anything.Because he knew his body was going to crash soon.He didn’t have time.He could still hear distant shouts echoing across the compound.That meant something big had happened.Something that had pulled attention away from him.Good.He needed that.He muttered a quick prayer under his breath.A faint interface flickered into view in front of him—like a screen only he could see.He swiped through it quickly.Location.Mapping.He locked onto it.The gate.Not far.But not close enough either.He ran.Every step heavier than the last.His vision blurred slightly, but he pushed through.He slowed just before the gate.Too quiet.No guards.No movement.Trap?He didn’t stop to think.He ran.Straight through.Out.Through the bushes.On

“Yeah, you weren’t even going to let me finish,” the boss said firmly. “I was trying to tell you something.”He stepped closer.“You can’t abandon this group. And you can’t stand there and tell me you don’t care about it—after I spent two years looking for you.”Lombard looked at him for a second… then slightly tilted his head.“You’ve aged,” he said calmly. “You should have kids by now.”The boss froze.Then—he smiled.Yeah. Same Lombard. He could change the topic of any conversation in less than a second. “You too, LD,” he muttered. “You should have like… two hundred kids by now.”Lombard huffed lightly.“If success is measured by the number of kids you have… how many do you think I’d have by now?”“I don’t know,” the boss shrugged. “Two million. You’re a damn successful man. You just don’t know it.”“I’m not.”“Yeah? Tell that to the average guy who can’t miss work for two days without his boss threatening to sack him,” the boss shot back.Lombard smiled faintly.“I admire your wi

And Toby intended to find out exactly what.But emotion was not enough.Logic mattered.And her logic was simple.If someone could commit one terrible thing—they could absolutely commit another.Especially when the first one had never been confessed.Especially when the truth was still buried.So yes.Maybe bringing Finn here was extreme.Maybe terrifying a teenager was not her finest moment.But if it forced Lombard’s hand?If it taught him that she was not the type of woman he could manipulate?Then fine.That was the point.“Toby.”Her grandfather’s voice cut through her thoughts.She turned immediately.He stood a few feet away, watching her.Calm as ever.Which somehow always made him more unsettling.Toby walked toward him and stopped near the doorway.“You called me, Grandfather?”“Yes,” the old man said, slowly chewing the inside of his cheek.Toby immediately noticed.Anytime he did that?It meant something was coming.And in her experience, whatever came after that expressi

Alice froze.“Finn?” Every trace of flirting vanished from her face. “Wait—you haven’t gotten him yet? I thought you already met him!”Abigail turned toward Lombard from the passenger seat, expecting urgency.Instead—The man was looking at his phone like he was trying to decode an ancient prophecy from it.“Do you have any idea where Finn is right now?” Abigail asked sharply.Lombard looked up.“Is there something wrong with Finn?”He had already tossed his phone aside and started the car.Abigail stared at him.Actually stared.“We told you,” she snapped. “No—I called you and told you Finn had been taken away, and now you’re sitting here asking me what’s wrong with Finn?”Her anger and disbelief crashed together.Lombard frowned.“You told me Finn’s name,” he said evenly. “I had no idea that meant I was supposed to launch across town immediately.”Abigail wanted to grab something and throw it.But before she could, she noticed Alice wasn’t reacting the way a sane person should.She

Then Lombard nodded toward the door.A silent order.Finn immediately started walking.But not before shooting Toby a look so sharp it could have peeled paint.The kind of glare he had clearly been saving all day but hadn’t had the freedom to use while tied up.As soon as Finn stepped out, Toby moved closer to Lombard.“Hey... I’m sorry for pulling that on you,” she said quickly. “I was kidding. It was a joke.”She gestured vaguely.“If you check now, you’ll see the house is already fixed. I mean the one I took Finn from. My men were being a little extra, so they kind of pulled down the whole door.”“I don’t care about that.”Lombard’s voice stayed cold.Then he looked directly at her.“Don’t come around me again.”“I’m sorry for what my grandfather told you the other time,” Toby said quickly, following after him. “He was being a little wild, I know. He doesn’t usually go around saying things like that.”Lombard kept walking.“But I really care about you,” she continued. “And if you d