Chapter 702: Emergency [Bonus chapter]

Sadie did not want to leave her daughter behind, nor did she want to abandon Mina, but it was the only thing she could think of in the moment. Troy followed Ren on social media, so he knew the man was in the country, and they had it on good authority that he never believed they were dead. Claire told them that before and after the man was released from the institution, he searched for them for months before Drew got involved and sent him to another country. The end goal was not just to prove that they were alive, but he also wanted to prove to Mina that he did not kill them.

In hindsight, the pair could see that framing Ren for their accident was a little too cruel, but they needed to convince Mina that they were dead because they worried she would find them and lead Ren to where they were hiding. Now, in the middle of an event where Mina needed them, Troy's secondary contact within the family warned them that his mother was being aggressively searched for.

So far, no one in the Loam family, aside from Claire, knew that Sadie and Troy had a child, and they decided on the spot that if they were going to be caught, it would be best to leave their innocent daughter out of it. They knew that Mina would take care of the girl as if she were her own child, and more importantly, they knew she had the resources to keep their little girl safe.

"Does it have to be now?" Sadie questioned, wiping away the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

"She won't let us leave any other time. You heard what my mother told you. Mina is willing to go to war with my family to keep us safe, but you and I both know it's a fight she cannot win."

"How do we know that? She isn't the same. She's stronger now."

"Sadie, do you know what Drew will do to Mina if he finds out that she is Madam Aych? As far as I know, Ren isn't legally married. He will force her into the family the way my grandfather forced my mother to marry my father."

"But he-"

"My mother got lucky," Troy interjected. "My father treated her well because he didn't like the idea of having a forced bride, but there are many women in the family who haven't smiled since their wedding photos."

"Troy, I can't leave her," Sadie whined, and her husband pulled her into a tight hug before kissing her tears away.

"I know that it's hard, but it won't be forever. We knew the risk when we came here, and we should have been honest with Mina from the beginning. We have to go before he catches up to us."

Sadie nodded as she exited the security room and slipped a mask over her face. She searched the crowd, finding it amazing how much a simple mask could disguise a person, and she wondered if Mina knew what she was doing by having so many masked individuals in one place. Anyone of them could be a potential enemy. Even though they had gone over the guest list several times, and no one had been flagged as uninvited, the night was still young, and anything could happen.

After what felt like forever, Sadie finally caught sight of Cylus, who was standing at the bar with slumped shoulders. She knew that he too was worried about the amount of people Mina had invited, but their sister was walking around the venue as if a bullet would bounce off her skin. She truly felt confident, and while they both knew that part of it was an act, there was some indication that the woman wanted to get caught.

Sadie often overheard Mina randomly whispering about being tired of hiding, and sometimes, she would catch her sister looking at images of the man she knew had broken her sister's heart. A part of her wanted to facilitate an encounter between the pair, just to see what would happen, but that would have to wait until after she and Troy were able to lure Drew and Ren away from Mina and Lady.

Approaching Cylus from behind, Sadie roughly tapped the man's shoulder, and she could tell he was annoyed by her until he realized who she was. She was not dressed up like a guest, but as part of the security staff. The intention was to make it less awkward if she needed to follow anyone around, but now, she was drawing attention for being underdressed at an upscale event.

"These damn masks make it hard to find anyone," Sadie said.

"What are you doing out here?" Cylus asked. She knew she was supposed to be monitoring the main cameras, but she needed to use the opportunity to leave, and she knew Mina trusted Cylus enough to take her place.

"We have an emergency. Troy and I have to go. I need you to take over my station and keep Lady with you."

"What's going on?" Cylus questioned. Sadie struggled to keep the fear out of her eyes and the quiver from her lips, but she knew she was failing.

"I will tell you later. Just, don't tell M- Ami yet, and no matter what, don't let her come looking for us. Lady will need you both."

"Babe, we have to go now." Sadie was shocked to see Troy standing behind her, and realizing that her husband was truly terrified of being caught, she pulled Cylus to where Lady was asleep in her bassinet. Before leaving, she hugged the man for the first time since they met.

"I never wanted a brother, but you are okay."

"You're scaring me," Cylus replied, and in response Sadie could only force out a smile, hoping she was doing the right thing.

"Take care of them for me," Sadie said, before she ran.