Chapter 628
Chapter 628:
“Don’t disappoint me,” Lucian warned, then turned and walked up the stairs.
The moment the heavy door slammed shut, the manic energy drained from Skye’s face instantly. Her posture straightened. Her eyes cleared.
Tessa was on her knees, wiping up the water with a rag, crying softly.
“Stop crying,” Skye said. Her voice was low, steady, and commanding.
Tessa froze. She looked up. The crazy woman was gone. The woman looking back at her had eyes like steel.
“You… you’re not…” Tessa stammered.
“Listen to me,” Skye hissed. “I know about your son. I know Lucian is using him to keep you here p>
Tessa’s eyes widened. “How did you p>
“Men like him are all the same,” Skye said. She reached through the bars and grabbed Tessa’s wrist. “Do you want to see him again p>
Tessa nodded, tears spilling over. “Please. I just want to see my boy p>
“I can get you out,” Skye said. “But I need you to be brave p>
Skye reached down and ripped a strip of fabric from the hem of her ruined dress. She bit her lip until she tasted copper, then used her own blood to write on the white cloth. It wasn’t words.
It was a series of dots and dashes. Morse code.
GALA. DRAGON HOTEL. SAVE ME.
“There is a loose stone in the wall by the service gate,” Skye whispered, pressing the cloth into Tessa’s hand. “It’s the third stone from the bottom on the left pillar. Wedge this into the crack. My team will be scanning the perimeter with high-powered optics. They look for white markers—it’s a standard extraction signal we use. Do not let anyone see you p>
Tessa looked at the bloody rag. She looked at Skye.
“If he catches me p>
о𝗿𝗂𝗀in𝖺l 𝘷𝗲𝗿s𝘪𝘰𝘯 оո 𝖻𝗲.𝗰o𝗆
“He won’t,” Skye said. “Because I’m going to keep him busy screaming at you. Now go. Hide it p>
Tessa shoved the cloth into her bra. She nodded once, her face setting with newfound resolve.
“Thank you,” Tessa whispered.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Skye said, slumping back against the bars as she heard footsteps. “Now, get me more water, you idiot!” she screamed for the benefit of the approaching guard.
Two hours later, a sanitation truck rumbled down the mountain road away from the Graves Estate.
A mile down the road, it stopped. A man in a sanitation uniform hopped out. It was Felix.
He pulled a pair of high-powered binoculars from the cab. He focused on the stone wall of the estate’s perimeter, zooming in until he saw the specific rock. He scanned slowly, looking for the telltale contrast of white against gray stone. It was slightly askew, a tiny corner of white fabric visible only from that specific angle.
“Visual confirmation,” Felix said into his radio. “The signal is set p>
In the command center, Liam stared at the map.
“She signaled,” Alistair said, decoding the pattern Felix described. “Dragon Hotel. The Auction p>