Chapter 411
Chapter 411:
Leo had never met Colton before today, but everyone in Rymonst who mattered knew his name. This was a man accustomed to getting what he wanted by force if persuasion failed. Under ordinary circumstances, Leo would not have wanted this fight.
But Colton had broken into his home, roughed up his staff, and was now standing in his cellar making threats.
“Mr. Yates,” Leo said, his tone unhurried and deliberate, “Kristine is hiding from you. You followed her here uninvited. Where I come from, we have a word for that p>
Colton’s expression fractured. The fury that crossed his face was raw and unguarded — the look of a man who hadn’t expected to be spoken to that way.
“She doesn’t want to see me,” he said, almost to himself. The words came out like something that had taken him by surprise. “She’d go to these lengths just to get away from me p>
Leo and Alma exchanged a glance. Neither of them had the full picture, but Colton’s reaction told them more than any explanation could.
Alma stepped forward carefully. “Mr. Yates, whatever happened between you — it’s over. Kristine has made it clear she wants to move on. Why can’t you do the same p>
Colton turned the full weight of his glare on her.
A long silence held. Then he let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a snarl, turned toward the dark passage, and called into it — his voice echoing deep into the stone.
“Kristine. You win. You’re getting better at this, aren’t you p>
Deep in the tunnel, the sound of his voice reached her like a hand closing around her chest.
𝘋𝘰𝘸𝗇𝘭о𝖺𝗱a𝗯𝗅𝗲 PD𝖥𝘴 о𝘯
She didn’t look back. She pushed faster.
In his wheelchair, Asher turned his head toward the entrance. His hearing was sharp, and beneath the echo of Colton’s voice, he could just make out something else — the deliberate, measured sound of boots entering the tunnel.
Colton’s men were inside.
He looked up at Kristine. In the thin, gray light, he could see a bead of sweat tracing a line down the side of her face, her jaw set with quiet determination.
“Kristine,” he said softly.
“What?” She didn’t slow down.
“Go on without me. Leave the chair. If Colton finds me, he won’t touch me — but you need to run p>
She paused for barely a half-second, then kept pushing.
Her voice came back to him, quiet and certain. “What’s the point of escaping if I’m doing it alone p>
Something moved through Asher’s chest — a feeling he didn’t have a word for yet, but that he recognized as something he had been carrying for a long time.
“Kristine.” His voice was gentle, urgent. “If you stay with me, he’ll catch both of us. I’m slowing you down p>
Kristine had no intention of leaving Asher behind. She pushed the wheelchair forward and spoke with a quiet, unnerving calm. “I know how Colton thinks better than anyone. To him, you’re either an ally or an obstacle to be destroyed. Faking my death was a direct blow to his pride. He won’t let that go — not ever p>