CHAPTER 244

Elijah’s POV

As we sat in that cafe which was barely illuminated, we began to feel the situation’s intensity heightening. Troy’s plan to bribe Henry’s men felt like a desperate move. But more than that, I felt like he could just be fooling us again.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Troy.

He nodded, looking more resolute than I’d ever seen him. “It’s our best shot. Trust me.”

Just as we were about to delve deeper into the plan, Troy’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and went pale. “It’s my mother,” he said, answering the call. “Mother?”

I could hear her frantic, terrified voice on the other end. “Troy! Help me, come quick!”

His face drained of color, and he stood up abruptly. “We need to go. Now.”

Sophia and I exchanged a quick, concerned glance, then followed Troy out of the café. We drove as fast as we could to his house, my thoughts spinning with all the worst-case scenarios.

When we arrived, Brenda was sitting on the front steps, clutching the side of