Chapter 6
The stale, damp scent of rotting fertilizer and wet earth filled Elena’s lungs as she struggled wildly against her captor, kicking backward with her good foot and thrashing her elbows in a desperate bid for freedom. The leather journal slipped from her grasp, hitting the concrete floor with a heavy, muffled slap.
“Quiet, unless you want the entire security detail on us in ten seconds,” a deep, gravelly voice whispered fiercely directly into her ear. The hand over her mouth slowly eased its pressure, though the arm around her waist remained locked in an unyielding hold.
Elena froze, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs as she recognized the voice instantly. It wasn't one of the estate’s guards, nor was it the young man from the kitchen. It was a voice she had heard whispering instructions through a hidden earpiece during her very first interrogation in this godforsaken town—a voice that had promised her a way out if she played her cards right.
“Who... who are you?” Elena whispered back, her voice shaking violently as she tried to twist around to see her assailant's face in the suffocating darkness.
“Someone who wants to see that empire burn just as badly as you do,” the man replied, slowly releasing her and stepping back into a sliver of moonlight filtering through the broken glass roof.
He was a rugged man in his late thirties, wearing a dark tactical jacket with the insignia completely ripped off. A jagged scar ran down the left side of his neck, disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. He knelt down, retrieving the leather journal from the dusty floor and brushing a stray leaf off the cover with a calloused thumb.
“You shouldn't have grabbed this, Elena,” the man said, shaking his head with a grimace. “It changes the timeline. The people running this house aren't just local thugs; they're the financial backbone of a massive human trafficking ring that spans across three states. By taking this book, you’ve painted a massive target on your back that can’t be wiped away.”
Elena rubbed her sore wrist, glaring at him through the dim light with a mixture of fear and defiance. “They threw a wet rag in my face and told me I was a maid meant to be controlled. They locked me in a room and treated me like trash after stealing my entire inheritance. I didn't ask for any of this, but I am not going to run away like a coward while they destroy more lives.”
The rugged man stared at her for a long, agonizing moment, studying her features as if searching for any sign of weakness or deceit. A slow, respectful smile finally touched the corners of his mouth.
“You’ve got more spine than the last three girls they brought in here,” he admitted softly. “Most of them broke within the first hour. You lasted two days before you started tearing their house apart. But bravery alone won't get us out of here alive. We need a vehicle, we need clearance codes, and we need to move before the guards finish sweeping the east perimeter.”
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Before Elena could answer, the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed through the night air, followed by the blinding sweep of a spotlight hitting the exterior wall of the greenhouse just inches from where they stood. The glass roof above them rattled violently as heavy footsteps thundered onto the gravel path right outside the door.
The man grabbed Elena’s arm, his eyes wide with sudden urgency. “They found us. Move, now!”
