The armored SUV rolled slowly away from the rusted iron gates, the headlights cutting through the heavy rain.
An old man stood directly in the middle of the path. Arthur, the Harmon family's longtime butler, clutched a broken umbrella, his body shaking in the wind.
Cale pressed the brake pedal. The heavy vehicle came to a smooth stop. He looked in the rearview mirror, waiting for Javier's order to force the man out of the way.
Javier stared at the old man through the windshield. His expression didn't change. He raised one hand, signaling Cale to wait.
Ella heard the squeak of the brakes. She threw herself across the wide leather seat, pressing her palms flat against the cold glass of the window.
Her shaking fingers fumbled for the button. The thick bulletproof glass slid down, letting the freezing wind whip into the heated cabin.
Arthur stumbled forward. Tears streamed down his deeply wrinkled face as he looked at Ella's soaked, shivering form.
Ella shoved her scratched hand out into the rain. Arthur grabbed her fingertips, his hands trembling violently. A loud sob ripped from his chest.
"Survive, Miss Ella," Arthur choked out, his voice cracking. "Never look back. Just survive."
Ella's eyes burned. Her throat closed up tightly. She ripped her hand away and spun around, dropping to her knees on the floorboard to face Javier.
She pressed her palms together in front of her chest. "Please," she begged, her voice a raw scrape. "Take Arthur. Take him with us."
Javier leaned back against the headrest. His dark eyes slowly dragged over her kneeling, pathetic posture.
"No," Javier said. His voice was flat and even. "My residence is a secure location. I do not harbor useless liabilities."
The dam broke. Hot tears flooded down Ella's freezing cheeks. She lunged forward, her fingers grasping for the cuff of his coat.
Javier swatted her hand away without hesitation. He reached over and pressed the master control switch on the door panel. The window glided up, sealing shut and cutting off Arthur's loud wailing instantly. As the SUV accelerated, Javier caught Cale's eye in the rearview mirror. He gave a subtle, sharp nod, tapping his index finger against the armrest twice. It was a silent, pre-established signal. Cale understood immediately: dispatch a secondary team, secure the old man, and place him in a discrete, fully funded assisted-living facility. Ella didn't need to know.
The tires gripped the wet asphalt, leaving the old man shrinking rapidly in the side mirror.
Ella collapsed backward onto the leather seat. She pressed both hands hard over her face, her shoulders shaking as a muffled, ugly sob tore out of her throat.
Javier opened the center console. He pulled out a perfectly folded, pure white cotton handkerchief and held it out toward her.
Ella didn't look at him. She shrank away from his hand, pressing her back flush against the cold door panel.
Javier's face hardened. He dropped the white square of fabric onto the empty space between them and looked out the window.
The only sound left in the cabin was the low hum of the engine and her jagged, wet breathing.
Minutes dragged into an hour. The violent adrenaline crash and the freezing cold finally drained the last drop of energy from Ella's body.
Her crying slowed to occasional hiccups. Her head rolled sideways against the glass, and her eyes slid shut.
The SUV merged onto a rough patch of the interstate. The heavy chassis bounced over a deep pothole.
Ella's unconscious body tipped sideways.
Her head dropped hard onto Javier's thigh. Her soft, cold cheek pressed directly against the expensive fabric of his suit pants.
Javier's entire body went rigid. The muscles in his thigh locked tight. He could feel the faint, warm puffs of her breath seeping through the fabric to his skin.
Cale's eyes darted to the rearview mirror. "Sir. Should I pull over?"
Javier looked down at the girl sleeping on his leg. He stared at her pale face for three full seconds.
He raised his hand and gave a sharp flick of his wrist. Keep driving.
