Hope stayed quiet and glanced away from him. She wanted to say she was enjoying this, but admitting anything would be a betrayal. She couldn't just forget what he was or who he was so easily. The blood might be washed off, but it still stained her mind.
"Hope?" Varys pointed out across the park where a family of ducks paddled through the water. "I brought some bread, let's go feed the ducks. You still like that, right?" the corners of his lip twitched, and he bit his lip as he searched her face.
"You can't feed them that," Hope scolded as she glanced away from him. Damn him for being hopeful. She didn't need to deal with that.
"Huh?" Vary's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?"
"You'll hurt the ducks," she replied. She glanced around the park again and noticed a tiny shack across the lake. The feed name was proudly displayed across the side in bold red font. "There, you can get food for them there."
Varys nodded and held out his hand to her. "Let's g
They got back to the mansion and Varys was true to his word. He marched Hope into her room and using a pair of shackles, cuffed her to the bed. "I don't know why you keep pushing me. I hope it was worth it, that call you made.""For what it's worth, I wasn't calling to reach him. I just wanted my uncle to know I was safe," Hope replied. She hadn't objected to his treat
Varys' voice haunted Max even in his waking moments. So what if he'd been childhood acquaintances with Hope? That wasn't about to stop Max from finding her and getting her away from that madman, that killer.How could he live himself if he left her there?Max glanced up as he heard the click of a shoe on his dummy tile. The office was empty except for him, so that left only one answer; intruders.
Dead. Ethan growled.All of his men, fucking dead, and they didn't even manage to take out the man he had sent them for.Ethan glared at the man that stood before him and the little weasel twisted himself in an attempt to not meet his eyes. "It's not my fault." He whimpered, his voice coming in soft little whines."Not your fault?" Ethan replied. "How are you alive, and everyone else is dead? Explain why you weren't inside that building when I ordered all of you to be." He le
"Speak." Varys sat behind his desk as he watched the man fidget in front of him.Whatever the news was, it wasn't good. His fingers curled into fists. Would he have to kill Hope?"It's about her past, her ex." The man ended with a gulp.
Varys' words weren't enough. Nothing was enough. Hope imagined what would happen to Vincent and Max if Ethan got his hands on them and bit her lip so hard blood seeped into her mouth."Hope, calm down."Varys' words were as if they were underwater. She could hear them, but they were dull and couldn't break through the wall of panic.
No! There was no way she could let him go. He was turning away from her again, walking away. He was going to end up just as she'd assumed he was all this time. She wrenched her arm out of Marco's grip and ran to Varys.He must have heard her steps because he turned as she barreled into him and hugged her tight to his chest. His heart beat against her ear, and while it was comforting, it didn't make the fear dissipate. "Varys, you can't die on me."
"Report," Varys barked at the phone in his car.Fuzzy static answered him."Report!" Vary tried again.His first wave wouldn't stay quiet like this. Ethan had managed to take them out. He hadn't
"For one, you're all going to die. But I suppose I could let you suffer less if you're willing to just give up," Ethan said with a smile."You're a coward, Ethan. You're going to stand behind Stella like that?"Varys dimly remembered that one. She hadn't been as important as Hope. No one was important as Hope, ever. "Can't you just fight man to man? Winner gets the women, over and done." Not that V