A dim lamp flickered inside the cramped motel room, casting long shadows across the worn-out carpet. Andrew paced near the window, peering through the blinds at the parking lot below. Celeste sat on the bed, her fingers tightly woven together as she stared at the floor.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Because what was there to say?
They had been running for years, but Collaway had never been far behind.
Celeste finally broke the silence. "Do you think he knows?"
Andrew exhaled, rubbing his temples. "If he did, we wouldn't be sitting here right now."
Celeste swallowed. "Rina never talked. She never told him where we were."
"She protected us," Andrew murmured, his voice edged with guilt.
They owed everything to her.
Rina had suffered for their sake—for the secrets she helped them keep. And now, she was still trapped under Collaway's control, while they were here, trying to undo the damage.
Celeste's hands trembled as she clenched her fists. "We have to get her out."
Andrew nodded. "I know."
But knowing wasn't enough.
They had spent the past few months gathering resources, searching for a way to expose Collaway. But the real problem was the proof.
Everything they had on him—his crimes, his corruption, the truth about Aster's existence—it all came down to one thing.
The necklace.
Celeste's eyes flickered toward the door, her voice quieter now. "She still wears it, doesn't she?"
Andrew hesitated before nodding. "Rea has no idea what she's carrying."
The weight of those words settled between them.
Aster's mother, Rina, had been Celeste's best friend since childhood. She had been loyal, kind, and most importantly, strong.
But Collaway had broken her.
He had forced her into a life she never wanted.
And now, the only thing left of her freedom—the last thing she had entrusted to Celeste and Andrew—was hanging around their daughter's neck.
A necklace that held everything.
Bank account numbers. Recorded conversations. Hidden transactions.
Everything Collaway had ever done in secret, encrypted inside that single piece of jewelry.
Celeste let out a shaky breath. "We can't let him find it."
Andrew nodded. "And we definitely can't let Rea find out the truth."
Because if she did…
She would become a target.
Just like Rina.
Just like Aster.
And if Collaway figured out that the girl he had overlooked—the quiet, unassuming Rea Jones—was actually the key to his downfall…
He would never stop hunting her.
Celeste tightened her grip on the edge of the bed, her nails digging into the worn fabric. "We should've destroyed it."
Andrew's jaw tensed. "We couldn't."
Celeste shot him a sharp look. "And now it's around our daughter's neck."
Andrew ran a hand down his face, exhaling sharply. "I know, Celeste. I know. But we didn't have a choice back then. If we had destroyed it, we'd have nothing. No proof, no leverage—nothing to take him down. And if we'd kept it with us, he would've found it. Rea was the only one safe enough to hold it."
Celeste's eyes darkened. "She was just a baby when we left."
Andrew nodded. "And that's why he never suspected her."
Collaway had spent years searching for them, tearing apart lives, destroying anyone who stood in his way. He had tortured Rina for answers, using her, breaking her—but she had never given them up.
Because Rina had known what they all knew—if Collaway ever found the necklace, it was over.
Celeste pressed her fingers to her temple. "And now Rea is close to Aster."
Andrew's stomach turned. "Too close."
They had done everything to make sure Rea stayed out of this. She had grown up safe, away from the mess, away from the blood Collaway had spilled to keep his power. But fate was cruel.
Rea had met Aster.
And Aster was a walking trigger for Collaway's wrath.
Celeste let out a bitter laugh. "It's almost funny, isn't it? After all these years, after everything we did to keep them apart… they found each other anyway."
Andrew didn't answer. Because it wasn't funny.
It was dangerous.
Aster was the last piece of Rina Collaway had no control over, the one thing his father had failed to break. And now, he was in Rea's life, pulling her closer to the storm they had worked so hard to keep her out of.
Andrew paced the room again, his mind racing. "We need to move faster."
Celeste looked up at him. "You mean—?"
"We free Rina. Now." His voice was firm, unshakable. "We've waited too long. If Collaway starts digging into Rea's life, it won't take him long to figure out what she's carrying."
Celeste swallowed hard.
If that happened…
Rea wouldn't just be in danger.
She would be hunted.
Celeste took a deep breath, nodding. "Then we do it. We get Rina out."
Andrew's gaze was steely. "And we end this."
Because there was no more running.
Not anymore.