Deric
I drove straight to Carlton’s Underground house. The night was cold as I rode through Carlton’s estate, my pulse quickening with every step. I shouldn’t be here. Ava’s voice echoed in my mind. But I couldn’t sit idle, not when everything felt wrong. Not when Carlton’s sudden generosity , giving me a “vacation” and keeping Ava out of reach stank of manipulation.
I reached the edge of the compound, where the land dipped low. My boots crunched softly on the gravel as I walked. The night was still, unnervingly so. Even the guards, usually posted at every turn, were absent or hidden. The air was filled with something dark, dread thick enough to choke on.
I crept toward the entrance, a reinforced steel door half-concealed by rock and brush. Voices drifted from within. I recognized Carlton’s at once, sharp, venom-laced, commanding the kind of fear that made men forget their own names.
And then I heard Ava. Her voice, cracking with panic. “Father, don’t do this. Please. He…he didn’
