Chapter 232: The Game Tightens

Chris held the phone to his ear as the SUV pulled away from the empty townhouse. The line clicked, and then—

"Ethan."

The silence stretched for a beat before Ethan responded. "I have them in sight."

Chris's grip on the phone tightened. "And?"

"They're inside the warehouse. No movement yet."

Chris stared out the window, his mind already calculating the next move. Skylar was cornered, whether she realized it or not. She thought she had control. She didn't.

"Is she armed?" Chris asked.

A pause. "Not visibly. But Ava? She's carrying."

Chris's jaw tightened. Ava was a problem, but not an unpredictable one. Skylar, on the other hand…

"Listen carefully," Chris said. "Skylar comes back to me—alive and unharmed. No exceptions."

Ethan's silence was telling. Chris knew what he was thinking.

The last time he had given Ethan an order regarding Skylar, the execution had been… misinterpreted.

Chris wouldn't allow that to happen again.

"Understood," Ethan finally said.

Chris ended the call without another word.

Cole, sitting beside him, studied his expression. "You're sure about this?"

Chris gave a faint smirk. "I don't make mistakes, Cole."

Cole didn't argue. He never did.

Chris leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment. Skylar thought she had escaped him.

She was about to learn just how wrong she was.