Chapter 167
[ 479 words ]
Chapter 167:
A deafening, mechanical roar blasted through the speaker. It was the unmistakable, bone-rattling sound of four massive military transport plane engines.
“Did the food arrive?” Jarrod’s voice cut through the static. He sounded incredibly exhausted, his voice rough as sandpaper.
Caroline’s eyes suddenly burned. She gripped the phone tightly, pressing it hard against her ear.
“Yes,” Caroline said softly. “It’s too much food, Jarrod.”
A low, dark chuckle vibrated through the phone, barely audible over the roaring engines.
“Eat every single bite,” Jarrod commanded, his tone dripping with arrogant, possessive affection. “I will check your weight when I get back.”
The line went dead with a sharp click.
𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Caroline sat at the massive marble dining table, swallowing the last bite of the incredibly rich black truffle eggs. She placed her silver fork down just as her cell phone lit up again.
The screen flashed with a familiar name: Brenna O’Malley.
Caroline’s heart skipped a violent beat. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot.
Since the nightmare at the hospital and Jarrod dragging her into his terrifying world, she had completely ghosted her normal life. She hadn’t spoken to her best friend in days.
She took a deep breath, forced her facial muscles to relax, and swiped the green button.
“Hey!” Caroline said, injecting a bright, fake cheerfulness into her voice.
“Are you alive?” Brenna’s loud, dramatic voice blasted through the speaker. “You have been MIA for almost a week! I thought you got kidnapped or something!”
Caroline rubbed the bridge of her nose, guilt gnawing at her insides.
“I’m so sorry, Bren,” Caroline lied smoothly, her voice perfectly steady. “The hospital is doing a massive IT system upgrade. They’ve had me working mandatory double shifts. I’ve just been going home and passing out.”
Brenna groaned in sympathy, completely buying the excuse. “That is brutal. Well, I have the day off today. There’s a new comedy playing at the downtown theater. Let’s go. You need to get out of your apartment.”
Caroline smiled, genuinely relieved to have a normal conversation. “That sounds great. I’d love to.”
“Perfect,” Brenna said brightly. “I’m actually driving past Oak Court right now. I’ll be at your apartment building in five minutes. Come downstairs.”
Caroline’s brain completely froze. The blood drained rapidly from her face, leaving her skin ice cold.
Jarrod had bought the Oak Court building. He had legally terminated her lease. Her apartment was completely empty, and she was currently sitting in a multi-million-dollar penthouse miles away.
If Brenna pulled up to that building and asked the superintendent for her, the entire illusion of her normal life would shatter instantly.
Her CIA crisis-management training hijacked her vocal cords.
“Oh my god, Brenna, why didn’t you text me earlier?” Caroline practically yelled, her tone dripping with perfect, exaggerated annoyance.
“What?” Brenna asked, startled.
“I had to drop off some paperwork at a specialist’s office in Georgetown for a hospital referral, a last-minute nightmare,” Caroline improvised wildly. “I just finished and was about to head back.”
.
.
.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.