oject a confidence he clearly no longer felt. He rolled down his w

ed on some distant point. He spoke quietly into a Bluetooth

se was ins

ack that sounded like a gunshot, the driver's side window of the pickup shattered into a tho

tched shrieks of terror, as they

uited men reached in, grabbing Vince and Rick by their collars an

open, a hand like an iron vise clamped down on his wrist. He let out a strangled cry of pain,

terror and awe washing over her. These men

n to help her, his eyes scanning for any injuries. Then, with

eaths, the acrid taste of the tape's adhesive still coating her tongue. The tear

white handkerchief. His voice was respectful,

rected at her. Mrs. Matthews. It sounded foreign, alien, but

to speak. She managed to rasp

b," Rocco said, anticipating her question

r chest lifted. A wave of relief so powerful it made

till trying to bluster. "You

e. "Be quiet," he said, his voice soft but carrying an unmista

apart. He dropped to his knees on the filthy pavement, blubber

o had tormented her for years. She felt nothing.

wered, listened for a moment

wants to spe

essed it to her ear. Houston's voice, that same

you h

e she was holding onto. All the terror, the pain, the humiliation of t

d, the word thick

of the line. A few seconds of silen

we proceed as planned. To the h

had assumed... after all this, h

ge. "Can I please see my m

d, his tone firm, unyielding. "Jocelyn, remember our

ng her of her place. This wasn't a rescue born of co

rdled into a cold knot of d

nd," she said,

ur clothes. I don't want my gran

nt dead. He

wind of conflicting emotions. Gratitude, fear, resen

was a simple, new dress and a bottle of water. Everything ha

being shoved into an unmarked black van, their protests silenced. She