Chapter 624
Laurel’s voice was ice-cold. “She isn’t a trained fighter. She’s just had to survive too many of your filthy tactics.”
From the ruthless Paige Jensen, to the predatory Slate Murphy, to the suffocating entanglement with her in-laws-Elissa had been forced to learn how to save herself
since childhood.
Rowan’s expression remained dark and hard. Without a single word, he strode straight toward the staircase.
Finn let out a cold laugh. “Does Mr. Murphy think my place is a hotel? That he can just come and go as he pleases?”
Before the words fully left his mouth, one of Finn’s men stepped up to block Rowan’s path. Evan Murphy threw a brutal punch, dropping the man instantly.
Rowan didn’t even look back. He kept walking up the stairs. “If you’d like, this place can be your graveyard, too.”
He completely disregarded Finn’s presence.
Hearing the commotion, the reinforcements from both the Murphy and Wilkinson families stationed outside flooded into the house. The power imbalance was staggering. Without a hostage, Finn had zero chance of winning, and he knew it.
Watching Rowan ascend the stairs like a conquering king, Finn managed a strained smile and looked at Frank. “Mr. Atwater is quite the gentleman. Not only are you willing to hand over your ex-wife and her new child, but you’re also playing the loyal sidekick to help Mr. Murphy save them.”
Everyone in the room caught the blatant attempt to sow discord. If he could turn Frank against them, Finn might still find a way out of this dead end.
But Frank didn’t take the bait. He just stared intently toward the second floor.
No one noticed that when the loud crash had echoed from upstairs, Frank’s entire body had trembled. Elissa was pregnant. Any physical danger posed a significantly higher risk to her than it would to anyone else. And in a way, he was an accomplice to this nightmare.
Thank God…
His Elissa was smart. She had always been so smart. Thank God she wasn’t the one who got hurt.
*Knock, knock-*
Elissa, oblivious to the standoff below, flinched violently when the knocking sounded directly behind her back.
Thankfully, a second later, a deeply familiar voice penetrated the heavy wood. “Little Nine, are you in there?”
It was Rowan!
She let out a massive breath, caught
between a sob and a laugh, and
scrambled to unlock the door. The
moment her hand grasped the
handle a sharp pain flared in her stomach. Her face went pale. She furrowed her brows, forcing the pain down, and yanked the door open.
Seeing her, the terrifying tension that had gripped Rowan all day finally broke. But noticing something was wrong, he gripped her arms. “Where are you hurt?”
“I’m not.” Elissa shook her head.
Other than the initial blow that
knocked her out in the car, none of
Finn’s men had laid a finger on her. But she didn’t hide the truth. “My stomach hurts, though. It feels threatened miscarriage symptoms again. I’m going to need strict bed rest after this.”
“Is… is the situation with Finn handled?”
Seeing that she was still worrying about the logistics, Rowan’s brow furrowed tightly.
He scooped her up effortlessly into his arms. “Whether it’s handled or not is my problem.”
With that, he carried her steadily down the stairs.
Rex hadn’t expected them to come back down so quickly, but even before Rowan got close, Rex sensed something was wrong. Rowan’s expression was even more murderous than before.
Rex’s posture stiffened, and he stepped forward. “Is Elissa hurt?”
His obvious concern took Elissa by surprise. During their last two encounters, Rex’s attitude toward her had been strange—a complete 180 from how he used to avoid her like the plague.
Rowan wasn’t paying attention to her internal confusion. He answered Rex in a low, dangerous tone. “She’s not feeling well. I’m taking her home.”
“You handle things here.”
The last sentence was spoken softly, but Rex had known Rowan long enough to hear the absolute lethal intent behind the words. Rowan just wasn’t saying it explicitly in front of Laurel whose political career required her hands to remain clean.
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This suited Rex perfectly. Anyone who dared lay a finger on his sister deserved to
die.