“My battered body ached, and below I was burned beyond words. All I could do was stifle the moans that tried to escape.Jerome must have noticed my pain, but he neither spoke nor slowed his pace. He silently strode across the garden, skirting the mansion’s exterior wall with deliberate steps. By the time we rounded to the back and reached the parking lot, I was completely spent, leaning on him for support. Even then, Jerome panted heavily, but he never slowed. As he threaded between luxury cars, his pace even quickened slightly. I grew exhausted far more quickly, panting and barely able to move my feet. Jerome silently looped his arm around my waist, braced me with his body, and carried on walking.His breath sounded right by my ear as I leaned fully on him. Suddenly, I remembered that summer afternoon in Laberham—Jerome’s careful touch tending to me, so focused on nursing me that his hands felt tender and intimate. I squirmed uncomfortably under his grip. Then I recalled a night when, shivering from the cold, he’d stripped off his clothes to press his bare skin against mine to warm me—and the memory of his breath in my ear made my own ears burn. Instinctively, I pushed him, and Jerome came to a halt. Incredibly, he coaxed me as if comforting a child: “Just a little further,” he murmured, drawing me tightly against him.We paused when a voice called out from behind.“Wait. Jerome, isn’t that you?”Jerome’s face stiffened as he held me by the ribs. I looked at his impassive expression with some curiosity. Then Jerome turned his head, and his face transformed into the composed mask of a gentleman.“So it really is you! What brings you here?”The man who’d stopped us was a sturdy fellow in his early forties with a mustache and a slight paunch. He glanced casually at my face, then fixed his gaze. His indifferent look shifted to keen curiosity, and the corners of his mouth curled upward. A chill ran down my spine, as though cold droplets were running along it.He recognized me. The moment our eyes met, I knew who he was, even though I’d never seen his face. He must have been one of the men wearing masks at the club last night—the ones who assaulted and raped me.“As far as I know, you were on assignment in London,” he said with an unpleasant laugh.Jerome replied with polite formality.“That’s right. I stopped by to see Mr. Dunwell last night and was just about to return.”“To see the big young master?”“Yes. I’d planned to leave early this morning, but with everything that happened last night, I overslept.”“Everyone’s in the same boat.”The man winked at Jerome, smirking at me, and Jerome, unfazed, nodded. Glancing down at his wrist, he pretended to be embarrassed.“Speaking of which, I lost my watch last night.”“Ha! Sounds like you had fun.”The man laughed heartily and glanced at Jerome’s wrist.“It’s just past noon now. Running late?”“Yes. I’ll see you in London, Deputy Director Johnson.”“Off you go, Agent.”When Jerome gave his respectful farewell, the man said no more, though he kept staring at me until Jerome turned away. Then Jerome resumed walking, his face once again cold. We stopped at a black sedan. Jerome helped me into the passenger seat and climbed in behind the wheel with the same composed air.We said nothing as he gently drove us out of the well-kept parking lot. The deputy director remained standing, watching us go and waving lightly. Jerome inclined his head and rolled up the window until we’d left the grounds entirely. He didn’t speed until we’d circled the garden and entered the woods. Glancing back, I saw the deputy director standing at the front entrance, watching us, phone to his ear. Jerome must have seen him in the rearview mirror because he punched the accelerator as soon as the house was out of sight, powered deeper into the forest road, and flipped on his phone.He dialed urgently.“Get out now, Christopher. Leave the driver behind. Change cars if you can. Meet at Mrs. Stella’s house.”I was at a loss for words, staring at this unfamiliar side of Jerome. With his knuckles white on the wheel, he continued.“We were unlucky. Deputy Director Johnson saw us. He’s made a career of surveillance; he’s probably already calling Timothy. We can’t delay. Leave immediately. Dump your phone…”He paused, listening to the other end. Though muffled, I heard a voice. Jerome’s tone then grew markedly calmer.“You can’t fool him. Timothy never lets a betrayer live. You know that from what happened in Chadstone.”Again he fell silent. The car sped so fast the forest flew by in blurs.“That’s nonsense. Christopher, there’s no time. Get out of that house now. We can make new plans later. Did you really think you could involve Raymond and have everything go off without a hitch?”Somewhere beyond the trees, the road curved into a rural lane bathed in bright winter sunlight. I held my breath, listening as Jerome laid out a plot to overturn Timothy. If Timothy held the answers I needed, I resolved to thwart Jerome’s every move.“You’re kidding, right? You’ve been tamed like a dog? Do what you want, ‘Cherry.’”Jerome’s voice was cold as he hung up. He flung his phone onto the dashboard and sat in silence, as though he’d forgotten I was beside him. The phone vibrated again, but he didn’t look. When I snatched it up, he raised an eyebrow. The screen showed a call from Timothy.“Raymond, will you answer?” Jerome asked politely, hand outstretched.“No.”The phone kept vibrating. Jerome shifted toward me, still flooring the accelerator without looking. Then in his smooth, restrained voice:“It’s important. You have to take it.”“What happens if I do?”Instead of answering, he stared at me. The car slowed noticeably. I lifted the phone to my ear and put on a conspiratorial tone.“Oh, Timothy, thank you for calling. Did you hear the news? They say Jerome and Christopher already found the one you’re hunting—the one who killed Hugh and George. That’s me. Jerome was there when I killed them, but I haven’t told you yet, have I?”Jerome, expression as cold as stone, smiled without a trace of warmth. He then accelerated again, racing so fast that any curve might have sent us over the edge. Yet neither of us blinked. At some point, the familiar gleam of madness crept into his eyes—a look I found deeply satisfying.He nodded.“Answer him, Raymond.”“All right. I will.”At that moment, the call cut off, only to vibrate again. As I slid to answer, Jerome added in a low voice,“If Christopher’s okay with how you looked last night, that is.”Too late to stop, the call connected. I was speechless, and so was Jerome. On speaker came Timothy’s cheerful voice amid raucous noise.“Jerome? Jerome, did you answer?”Jerome didn’t respond. He sat rigidly at the wheel, staring ahead. Timothy called again, but no one spoke. Only that deafening noise pierced the silence.I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I didn’t know whether Jerome had been threatening or sincere, but I was frozen. Then Jerome, still looking straight ahead, split his lips in a grin and mouthed, “You can’t, can you?”With absurd leisure, he spoke:“Yes, Timothy.”“The call dropped.”“Really? Bad reception, I guess.”Timothy’s voice resumed:“Where are you now? I need you back.”Jerome kept his eyes on the road.“I’m headed straight to London on business; can’t come back. What’s up?”“I’ll fly you in a private jet. Come back, just for a moment.”“It’s too far now. We’re already on our way to Portsmouth. Can’t do it by phone?”Silence. Then Timothy said quietly:“Jerome, I can see everything.”Jerome and I glanced in the rearview. No one followed. Only the roar of the forest and our speeding car remained. Jerome and I were silent; so was Timothy. I stuck my head out the window and saw a helicopter drifting overhead. A helicopter! I looked at Jerome, and our eyes met. He yanked me back into my seat and swerved the wheel.The car spun dangerously into the stand of pines beside the road. Through the open window I heard Timothy’s laughter.“Playing hide-and-seek?”Jerome snatched the phone from my hand and ended the call. The helicopter noise vanished, but its rotors still whirred just above the treetops.Without hesitation, Jerome launched us deeper into the forest, crashing through saplings. The side mirror shattered against a trunk, yet he paid no mind. The car bounced over roots and rocks, but we kept driving. Occasionally, I glimpsed the helicopter through the treetops, its rotors thudding in the distance.My thoughts whirled with dread over Christopher and the pursuing helicopter. ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) I swallowed hard until Jerome clicked his tongue.“I messed up.”I thought he was talking to himself, but he went on:“I never expected a helicopter. They must have rushed back. I should’ve anticipated it, but you had me distracted.”I said nothing, watching him weave between trunks. He grinned.“If I’d thought of a chopper, I wouldn’t have needed to take the call. Anyway, Raymond, you’ve accomplished what you set out to do.”He added playfully:“You’ve totally burned bridges with Timothy.”There was no point in scheming further. If Timothy was Jerome’s weakness, I would have to use him. But unlike Christopher, I couldn’t just approach Timothy without caution—I’d killed Hugh, after all. Timothy’s vengeance would be swift. I needed more information—and the only one who could provide it was Jerome in the seat beside me.I watched him dodge a thick cedar stump and asked,“So what’s the plan now?”Ahead, through the trees, I saw a well-paved road. Jerome accelerated toward it, tilting his head in a casual shrug. As we burst from the pines, he replied quietly:“If we get caught, we’re dead. So we run.”“How?”The helicopter’s roar grew deafening as we neared the clearing. Sliding out the window, I looked up—and saw the helicopter hovering just above us, ropes ladder dangling and silhouettes of men inside. I slipped back in and stared at Jerome, calm as ever.“How do we lose a helicopter?” I asked.He answered with maddening calm:“We don’t.”

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