Underneath the chandelier, Mason was wearing a blank expression when he said, “You can do whatever you want to them. Just keep them alive!”

Ava flinched in response. Then, she said obediently, “Understood.”

She watched as he went downstairs. Moments later, she heard the sound of an engine being ignited from the yard. She knew he was going to take Zoe home now.

At the next moment, tears filled her eyes.

Zoe was coming home at last.

…

The road was covered with snow that night.

He drove the