All Chapters of The CEO Beautiful Regret : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

*Vivienne*The silver truck vanished behind the high pine trees. Its engine sound died away, leaving only the quiet wind rustling through the needles above us."Is he coming back?" Clara asked. She was holding my belt, her voice barely louder than a whisper."No," Martha said, picking up her short iron bar from the track bed. Her eyes were still fixed on the bend in the road where the truck had gone. "Not today. He no longer has the numbers to report. Returning empty-handed to Zurich takes time to explain.""We can't stay on the open tracks," Dominic said. He was leaning his full weight against a dead pine branch, his right boot dragged sideways in the gravel. "The rail company will report the broken switch in less than an hour."I picked Clara up, shifting her weight onto my hip. My left foot was totally numb now, frozen stiff by the swamp mud, but I felt every sharp rock on the track bed through the thin cotton sock."Into the trees," I said.We left the iron rails behind, slipping

*Vivienne*The barn smelled of dry hay, old oil, and rust.It was pitch black inside. The only light came from the thin cracks in the wall where the morning wind blew through, bringing a fine spray of cold dust.Dominic’s weight was heavy against my shoulder. His skin was burning hot now, his breath coming in fast, shallow gasps against my neck."The truck," Martha whispered from the dark ahead.Her boots crunched on the dry straw as she moved toward a huge shadow in the back corner. She reached up, grabbed a heavy canvas tarp, and yanked it down. A massive cloud of gray dust filled the air, making Clara cough softly into my shoulder.It was an old red Ford, its tires half-sunk into the dirt floor. The blue paint on the hood was peeling, but the frame was solid iron."Clara, get in the middle," I said, sliding her over the high running board into the cab.I pushed Dominic in after her. He groaned, his bad leg catching on the edge of the door frame, but he collapsed onto the cracked vi

*Vivienne*The stone ledge was slick with black ice.My left foot was bare, swollen, and numb. Every step I took drove sharp pain right up through my ankle, but I couldn't stop. I pressed my back hard against the freezing granite face, holding my breath.Below the ledge, two men were climbing up through the thick mountain fog. Their heavy boots crunched loudly on the frozen pine needles."There's fresh blood on the rock," a man’s voice called out from the mist. It was low, rough, and close. "She’s limping. She can’t be far.""Keep your eyes up," another voice answered from further down the slope. "The suit wants her alive, but he didn't say anything about keeping her legs whole. Take her down if she moves."I squeezed the silver pistol with both hands. My fingers were stiff and blue from the biting wind, making the metal feel like a block of ice—three rounds left in the magazine.That was all I had between us and a bullet.Inside the stone cabin behind me, Dominic was silent. Clara wa

*Vivienne*The goat path ended at the water.It was a wide, fast mountain river, black as night, carrying chunky ice blocks down from the high peaks. The fog hung low over the current, smelling of wet pine and sharp winter cold.Dominic collapsed onto the river gravel, his bad leg giving out completely. He dragged me down with him, his heavy arm keeping me pinned against his ribs. His face was burning hot against my neck, his dark eyes wide and wild as he searched the thick trees behind us."Is anyone coming?" he rasped, his voice raw."No," Martha said, standing at the water's edge with her iron bar. "The suit can't cross the canyon. He'd have to walk six miles back to the timber road to get his trucks around the ridge."Clara dropped onto the stones beside Dominic, her small knees hugging her chest. She was shaking so hard her teeth clicked together."I'm cold, Vivienne," she whispered.I wrapped my arm around Clara, pulling her into the space between Dominic and me. Dominic's hot,

*Vivienne*The pine needles under my bare feet were cold enough to burn.Dominic’s weight was light on my shoulder now, not because his bad knee was getting better, but because he was trying to carry his own body. He held his breath every time his boot hit the wet dirt, his teeth clamped so hard his jaw stood out like a rock. But his hand never left mine. His fingers stayed locked in my grip, holding tight like I was the only thing keeping him on his feet."How much further, Martha?" I whispered, my eyes darting through the dark trees around us.Every shadow looked like a man with a gun. Every snapping twig sounded like a boot stepping on dry wood."Half a mile," Martha said from three steps ahead. She was holding Clara’s hand, her iron bar resting across her right shoulder. "The cabin sits behind a pine ridge. No lights. No chimney smoke until we know the road is clear.""Is it clean?" Dominic rasped, his voice low and scratchy. He stopped for a second, pulling me tight against his r