Scarlett's breath hitched, her mother's words cutting through the tension like a blade.
"There's something you need to know about Nathan's mother," Ellen had said, her tone heavy with unspoken truths.
Scarlett stared at her, the weight of those words settling uncomfortably in her chest. "What do you mean? What about Nathan's—" Scarlett was about to ask but was interrupted.
A sudden crash from outside silenced her, the sharp sound of splintering wood and heavy boots breaking through the stillness. Ellen's head snapped toward the window, her body tensing.
"They're here," Ellen said, her voice calm but urgent.
Before Scarlett could fully process, the door burst open, and the men they had narrowly escaped earlier spilled into the room. Scarlett scrambled backward, her hand instinctively reaching for the weapon tucked into her waistband.