Page 152 of Seeking Vengeance

I frown and glance back at Bishop in confusion.

“Don’t look at him,” she whispers. “Do you want to get out of here or not?”

I balk. “Excuse me?”

“Do you want to leave?” Her voice is barely heard over the breeze, her pretty face pinched in apprehension.

My heart kicks up a gear, my pulse increasing. “What are you trying to do?”

She inches closer, her voice dropping further. “Despite the estrangement, I love Dante. But I don’t think you want to be here…” She pauses, waiting for me to fill the silence.

“So you’d help me escape?”

“Normally, no.” There’s no apology in her tone. “But I owe your brother, and I want the debt off my shoulders.”

“Why would you owe him?”

“You don’t need specifics.”

“If there’s any way I’m going to trust your help, I’m going to need them.”

She sucks in a tired breath. “He showed me kindness the night your husband died. He could’ve hurt me, but he didn’t.”

“You’re lying.” Cole wouldn’t have shown anything other than hostility toward the people who stole my daughter.

“Believe what you want. I’m not here to convince you. The question is whether or not you want to get away from Dante.”

I disregard the name she uses while my stomach sinks.

Do I want to get away from him? Do I want to distance myself from heartbreak and betrayal at the cost of vulnerability?

“How?” I whisper.

“There’s a window in the bathroom. The screen can be removed. If you climb through, there’s an old trellis that will get you to the ground.”

She’sserious.

Holy shit.

“To what end?” I frown, keeping my voice low. “How am I meant to outrun nine grown men when stuck behind towering walls that are miles from civilization?”

“Once you reach the lawn, move around the back of the house to the garage. The roller doors should already be open. My car is the Bentley. The keys are in the center console along with the remote for the gate.”

I stare at her, trying to find a hint of deception. “Why are you doing this?”

“I already told you. I owe Cole. This is me repaying the debt.” She reaches for my arm, her fingers cautiously touching my wrist. “I’m not your enemy, Layla. I never have been. What happened with your husband was a horrible tragedy. And your daughter…” She winces. “Me and my brothers had no idea what was going on until we were in the middle of a war. It never should’ve—”

“Are you two finished out there?” Bishop growls, his footsteps approaching.

Abri retreats to stand at her full height, her face transforming into a mask of innocence.

Are we finished?

It seems like she’s merely scratched the surface of withheld information. And none of it makes sense.

Cole showed her kindness? My husband’s death was a tragedy?

“What’s going on?” Bishop comes to stand at the threshold.

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