Vianne POV:She sighed and took another sip of her tea, setting it aside on an end table. "I know it's probably for the best that Claire remain wherever you have her, but I want her to have her things. I have her most cherished items packed up."I sighed. Claire's notebooks. I nodded, oddly grateful."I'm surprised you managed to meet me alone," she said, her brow furrowing. That was the most concern I had ever seen on her face."I find it hard to talk freely and privately with security on my ass." It had taken almost an hour to outwit the boys at the hotel. That third wig I had insisted on, in red curls, did the trick.Ariana smiled knowingly. After a brief bout of silence, she broke first. "I'll let you in on a little secret."I cocked an eyebrow in question, feeling the hair rise on the back of my neck. Brant was near. I could feel it. She seemed unaware, but then again, Ariana had hidden years of abuse from me. She could probably lie as

Dennis POV:Tory had beaten herself up pretty badly for messing up earlier. Vianne had gone through the cat and mouse game with Faron and Ronan, and Tory had snuck away to come see me. We were supposed to keep an eye on Brant so that we always knew where he was so that he didn't surprise Vianne.We lost him while I was making out with a fucking teenager. I felt like such a damn asshole for that colossal lapse in judgment. After taking Keegan's call, I dropped off Tory and made my way toward where I knew Vianne would be heading.I had arrived at the Moore Estate against everyone's orders. Clement, Jarred, and Keegan were rightly angry with me. They had called me off my duty after I lost Brant, but I had left immediately for the Congressman's home after I confirmed that Vianne already left her hotel. Brant would eventually show up there, I had no doubt about that.Jarred had wanted to send only Zayne in my place, but I asked Zayne to let me handle it. Zayne

Dennis POV:I shook my head as blood splattered spectacularly from his nose, dripping onto Vianne's cheek and chest. He cried out in pain, holding his nose with one hand as the other tightened into a fist. Vianne dodged the blow, but even through the video feed, I heard the unmistakable sound of bones cracking against the tiled floor.I fist-pumped, nearly toppling the laptop on my thighs off.Brant roared in pain, rolling off her. "Come on, Vianne," I urged as if she could hear me. "Get up."She scrambled on all fours, wincing likely at the cold tile beneath her knees. Why had she chosen to wear a skirt? It was a loose one, but she should be in jeans. Then again, these people expected her to dress up, and she had a part to play, for now.I watched as one of her knees slipped in his blood, slowing her down. Brant appeared to still be gasping for breath, but his hand suddenly shot out and reached for her. Fuck. His hand closed around her naked ankle

Dennis POV:"Is he dead?" Mrs. Moore whispered, entering the room with a shotgun. It wasn't loaded. I removed all the shells from the gun cabinet I found in the west wing. Right? I couldn't take the chance.I pulled out my weapon and aimed it at her. "Put the gun down, Mrs. Moore." Her eyes widened for a moment as if she hadn't seen me. "I think you should, young man." "Ariana?" Vianne asked, coming between the shotgun and me. I groaned and pulled her to the side. "Is he dead?" she asked again, her eyes darting from his body and then to us. "No," Vianne whispered. Then the woman aimed the shotgun toward him.Before I could stop her, she pulled the trigger, but it was empty, as I had thought. I wrenched the gun from her hands, tears falling from her eyes. "He deserves it," she whispered."Fuck," I hissed. What the fuck were we supposed to do now? With her there, we had a witness to my killing

Keegan POV:The wig's long tresses covered most of her face, but her hand lifted to tuck some behind her ear. It was the signal we discussed she'd use before she left, something to tell me that she was okay. I felt some of the pressure around my heart ease.Her head lifted slightly, one of her big blue eyes visible through the wealth of hair, and I saw a bruise on her cheek. My heart stopped for a brief moment, long enough for me to notice the dried tear tracks along her cheek, but the absence of new ones. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.Sometimes a person couldn't live with the fact that they killed someone, no matter the reason. I hoped that wouldn't be the case for her."Please be okay, baby," I said softly, watching as she disappeared into a van with Pratt, and his partner steered Dennis toward another car. It was procedure to separate them, but I hated the fact that she would be alone.Suddenly, Jarred, Ronan, and Faron were t