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cision of the gesture sinking into my bones. I felt panic flare. "Can we try not to kill him right off the bat?" My voice was quieter, laced with a desperate hope I couldn't entirely hide. I wanted to believe Evans might want the baby-or even me. What I felt that night had been... real. Special. Ford shrugged casually, as if discussing the weather. "I can't say, Princess. I won't be holding back if I'm the one doing the torture." Ford's phone rang. I watched as he glanced at the screen and took the call. Ford didn't flinch; the person on the other end was likely just relaying information-Ford didn't need to respond. His silence made my stomach twist. Ford ended the call and looked back at me, expression unreadable. "Do you have feelings for him?" I blinked, caught off guard. Ford was already moving toward the doorway, which meant he was preparing to leave. "Huh?" I stammered, my voice catching in my throat. "Are you in love with the bastard?" Ford repeated, voice sharp, as if the answer mattered more than life or death. I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. I'd never asked myself that question. It felt like ice against my skin. "I... I don't understand where this is coming from, Ford." Ford leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, hesitating. "I see." His voice was quieter now, but the edge of steel remained. "Your father's men have found him. He's being brought here as we speak." That was fast. It didn't take long at all. It wasn't just any man, that was sent after him. Panic surged through me. "Who was sent after Evans?" My voice was shaky, betraying the dread curling in my stomach. Ford smirked, a cruel twist of his lips. "Amid." Amid. The name tasted like ash in my mouth. Amid was infamous. He was father's third-in-command and the gang's go-to man for the dirtiest, most brutal business. A sadist by reputation. If Evans was in Amid's clutches, survival was a long shot. He'd be lucky if they didn't harvest pieces of him before they arrived at the mansion. Ford seemed