Mark hadn’t just institutionalized her to take her assets—he was working with Ethan. They were squeezing both her and Lena. And Emma… might be next.
The taxi slowed as they entered Lena’s neighborhood.
Outside the house sat a gray SUV.
Mark’s.
Not a coincidence.
Carol stepped out before the car fully stopped.
The front door was locked, but a curtain shifted.
She circled to the side. The kitchen window was slightly open. Voices inside.
Melissa. Mark. And Ethan’s mother.
“The girl stays here until Lena signs,” Melissa said.
“No,” Mark replied. “Too risky. We move her somewhere else.”
“And if Lena reports it?” the older woman asked.
Mark laughed.
“With what proof? It’s already been called an accident. And if Carol interferes, we’ll use her nursing home file again.”
Carol’s blood pounded.
Enough.
Then she heard a faint noise. From a closet.
Emma.
Carol didn’t hesitate.
She forced the window open, reached in, unlocked it, and climbed inside with the speed of someone who had done harder things in life.
Melissa saw her first.
“The old woman!”
Carol ignored her.
Mark stood up, stunned.
“What the hell—?”
“Don’t move,” Carol said.
Her voice stopped him cold.
That second was enough.