Chris’s POVAs I made my way inside the house, the image of the circling helicopter lingered in my mind, a nagging sense of unease tugging at the edges of my consciousness. I could even still hear it as it was coming back around once more. My father’s casual dismissal did little to alleviate my growing concern. Heading upstairs to shower and change, I still could not shake the feeling that there was more to the helicopter’s presence than mere curiosity from the media. It seemed too persistent, too focused to simply be a passing interest in our family affairs. As the warm water cascaded over me, I allowed myself a moment of respite, letting the rhythmic patter of the shower drown out the noise of the outside world. But even in the solitude of the bathroom, my thoughts continued to churn, swirling with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Drying off and dressing in fresh clothes, I resolved to keep an eye on the situation. Whatever the helicopter’s intentions, I could not afford

Linda’s POVI know that we had agreed not to get the police involved at first, but let’s get this straight, the reason we had agreed to that was because we wanted to see who the guy was.But now that we knew, why would we do what he wanted us to do?We literally had his face captured on the CCTV, but the creepy part about it was the fact that it did not look like he was even trying to hide his face. It was like he wanted us to look for him. And that was what we were going to do, whether it was part of his plan or not. The man that was behind the desk was more than helpful, I know that he had done it because his company or maybe even his job was on the line, but he still did more than he should have done.He was the one who contacted the police and did everything that needed to be done. He sent them all that they requested, including the picture of the man.I was contemplating whether I should get Fallon involved, and then I remembered how she had made me do so much for her.I was li

Chris’s POVMy father froze his anger momentarily halted by the force of my outburst. His eyes narrowed, still filled with accusation and disbelief. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “Listen, okay? I made this deal after you guys were arrested, not before. Fallon had evidence against me, of course, she would, I’m not a saint. But she wanted to use me, she wanted me on her team,” I lied smoothly. “Hmm,” He beckoned me to continue. “She said the reason she did not have me arrested was because she wanted to show me that she had the power to leave me out of it; to have me free despite my play in all of this too. When you all were carried, that was when she offered the deal in exchange for my freedom.” “And you took it, just like that, not caring that your family was being carried to jail and framed?” He raised an eyebrow. I scoffed faintly. “Let’s face it, the family isn’t being framed, Dad.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair before replying, “Yeah, yeah, I k

Linda’s POVIt was a new day, I was showering and the warm water felt like heaven. It cascaded over my body and I closed my eyes, enjoying the bliss. After the shower, I wrapped myself in a plush towel and stepped out into the cool air of the bathroom. The steam from the shower lingered in the air, creating a comforting atmosphere as I dried off and began to get ready for the day ahead. I knew that Chris was coming today, and he would be reaching by seven in the evening. I did not know if seven was considered evening or night, but either way, that was when he was supposed to land in China. I knew about what had happened to his family. It was all on the news and on talk shows. It was crazy. But I think I knew before the arrest even happened. I could remember that afternoon after Fallon had gotten the arrest warrant. It was the day I was set free. She had drawn another contract up but this one was to point out that I was now free from her. I did not have to kill anyone again. I did

Linda’s POVMy heart sank at Kirby’s words, a cold knot of dread forming in the pit of my stomach. Whatever she had planned for me, certainly did not sound promising. I was so stupid, I was. I was stupid for thinking that everything was finally going to be okay now. I was stupid for thinking that I could be happy and start anew with my husband. Maybe I just didn’t deserve a simple or quiet life. Maybe chaos was all that was written in the cards for me. The car was going faster than I had ever driven a car and even if my hands and feet weren’t tied, there would be no way that I could jump out. So I just gave up and waited in fear and nervousness as to where this crazy lady was taking me. We were soon out of the city and heading towards the rural outskirts, where the landscape transformed from bustling streets to rolling hills and dense forests. It reminded me of when Fallon, Mitch, and I were going on the little road trip. But that was obviously not where we were headed right now.