24. Not All Rescues Look the Same

Avery’s POV

True to his chilling promise, the echo of Liam’s footsteps had barely faded when his so-called 'loyal' men appeared. Two hearts beat steadily outside the locked door—ominous drumbeats to my impending fate.

They stood in silence, sentinels of doom, merely waiting for the moment to act. Their presence was palpable, a heavy weight in the air, even through the barrier that separated us.

In the stifling quiet of the room, I lay on his bed, pulling his pillow close. I inhaled deeply, the scent of him—intoxicating and painfully sweet—lingering in the fabric. It was pathetic, perhaps, but I clung to the aroma of the man who haunted both my dreams and nightmares. It was all I had left of the Liam I once knew, a feeble balm for the raw edges of my shredded heart.

An hour ticked by—slow, inexorable minutes that stretched into an eternity of waiting. Then, Andrew's voice shattered the silence, sharp and commanding. "Lea