Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Clara glanced up at the sky, the last light fading. "Let's go."

They didn't stick to the main roads. Instead, the small group slipped through the Capital's back alleys, winding between shadows and silence.

Milo and Buddy moved ahead-one on each side-hugging the walls and sniffing every hidden corner. Clara always knew her dogs were smart, but tonight they seemed almost too clever, always finding the best cover and never making a sound, even when it felt perfectly safe.

Earlier, she'd let them sniff something of Aiden's. Now, Milo and Buddy were quietly leading the way, noses to the ground, focused and determined.

But they weren't heading toward the old manor like she expected. Instead, they veered away from the city lights, moving further out, toward quieter, emptier streets.

Clara frowned, leaning in to whisper to Kay, "If the old man wanted to punish someone, wouldn't locking them up at the manor be easier? No one would ever know. Why bring them all the way out here? Does the Ferguson family own another place out this way?"

In the darkness, Kay was practically invisible. If she didn't already know he was there, she might've lost track of him completely.

As usual, he said nothing.

Clara stopped walking. "Is this a setup for me?"

It made sense-using Aiden's location to draw her out. She couldn't get anywhere near Dylan; his security was impossible to break. So her only move was to go after Aiden, and the old man probably saw that coming from a mile away.

couldn't back out now. Even if she was walking right

won't be many people with Aiden. The

was. To everyone else, she was just some ordinary woman from

her, the

punishing people. Keeping Aiden away from the manor was probably to make sure Dylan didn't find out, especially since he'd been staying

only about

villas-this wasn't the middle of nowhere.

had a house

air, then nudged

and Kay paused outside one particular villa. This one was locked down tight -guards everywhere, at

patted Milo's head. Instantly, he sprang forward, barking

sight of so many people, but not Milo. He barked at

guards to break off, grumbling about cooking

place was supposed to be quiet-Milo clearly didn't care about their

those guards were distracted, Clara signaled Buddy. The rest of the men never saw it coming. Before they could even reach for their guns, Clara and Kay took them out, and Buddy tore into a couple of wrists, making sure they stayed

quickly searched the bodies for keys and unlocked the

open, the heavy,

staircase, led down into