How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Jarrod simply dropped into a chair, eyes fixed coldly on the satellite tracker. "I'm not going," he said, his tone icy and distant.

Esmeralda looked at him in surprise. "But-"

He offered no explanation.

By the time Watts got back, dawn was just breaking, the world outside painted in

muted gray.

Almost without thinking, he found himself heading toward Elodie's room. He paused in front of her door, lost in thought for several long moments.

The fact that Jarrod was still alive had caught him off guard. But telling Elodie? That wasn't part of his plan.

He glanced at his watch. Jarrod would need some time to wrap up his affairs. Nearly four hours had passed since their last call.

Casting another glance at Elodie's closed door, Watts walked down the hall and pulled out his phone. "Has Jarrod left yet?" he asked quietly.

The reply was immediate: "His men say they saw him board the plane."

Only then did Watts hang up.

As long as Jarrod was gone, everything would move the way he needed it to. He'd give Jarrod two days, at most.

As for Elodie...

and knocked

No answer.

then unlocked the door

expected, Elodie was sitting on the edge of her bed, lost in thought. She looked

doubt it was because of

flicker of something unreadable flashed through

"I want you to resign from your position at the home base," he said, voice even. "It's best if you call them, let them know you're

"Oh? Worried that they'll come asking questions once they find out you've locked me

denying it. That was certainly part of it. This whole mess had gotten

But there was more.

you to quit," he continued, slower now, "and come with

dragging her home, and now he wanted

does that have to do with me?" She arched a brow.

was sharper

wasn't the delicate, pliant type. When

of her, he looked up. "Elodie, I'm

back, cold

all the time in the world. "You quit your

with me, and

child there so you can

the words left his mouth,