PART 3: THE STEPMOTHER’S SCHEME
The men hesitated, intimidated by the sleek armored vehicle and Julian’s uncompromising authority, before reluctantly retreating back into the shadow of the woods. Julian rolled up the window and turned to look down at the shivering girl huddled on the floor of his car.
As the car accelerated smoothly back onto the main highway, Lena slowly raised her head, revealing the full extent of the bruising along her jaw line. “My name is Lena,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “My stepmother… she tried to sell me to pay off her gambling debts tonight.”
Julian felt an unfamiliar wave of protective anger surge through him as he handed her his wool coat. He recognized the name of the gambling den she mentioned—it was run by a corrupt syndicate he had been quietly trying to dismantle for months.
“She signed papers,” Lena wept, wrapping the warm coat around her cold shoulders. “She told them I was worthless and that no one would ever come looking for me if I disappeared.”
Julian looked out at the passing city lights, his jaw set in a hard, resolute line as he made a quiet decision that would alter both of their lives forever. “She was wrong,” he said softly. “You are safe now.”
(The ultimate confrontation is about to take place! Click “Next Page” to continue reading…)
