ge of the bed, rubbing the grit from her eyes. She hadn't slept, but her mind felt sharper than

carrying a silver tray. The woman kept her eyes down, her face a mask of professiona

s and ears.

ee. She sat down and took a slow bite of the toast, chewing m

a trembling voice. She had held Clora's hand and told her how awful Essex was, how she needed to get out. And like a

this

ed downstairs. Fa

urned. "Miss Parrish? A Miss

alfway to her coffee

Clora said, h

ch inward. She widened her eyes, making them look wet and haunted, and wrapp

oor o

cost more than a month's rent. Her blonde hair was perfectly curl

Clora into a tight hug, burying her face in Clora's shoulder. "I was so worr

Mila leaned in, a scent hit her nose. S

esperate for affection to realize that her best friend smelled like her captor. Mila had

red her head, letting her messy hair fall for

nees touched. "Look at you, you're shaking," Mila cooed, her voice dripping wi

from under her lashes. The woman was practically vibrating with ex

us. "Clora, you can't just give up. You can't let him break you. Presto

it

eyes looked lost and desperate.

d have missed it if she hadn't been looking for it. Mila lean

get him in to s

a had bribed one of the gardeners, a guy who worked the night shift

she was worried about Clora's mental state. She would paint a picture of a suicidal runaway, g

fect setup f

of her shirt, making her hands look n

handle everything. I promise, it will be completely

yes. She wanted to laugh. Trust her? The

rateful smile. "Mila... thank you. Y

d, the trap was set. The stupid little rebel was going to walk

g more empty platitudes before standing up to le

nd the latch clicked, the fragile, scared express

r driveway, Mila was getting into her red convertible. She was

l silver fruit knife. She picked up an apple from the bowl and started peeling it, her movement

le, carved up and thrown away. In this

n the polished silver blade. H

. But first, she needed to make sure the s