Rebirth Into My Second Chance novel Chapter 233

I wasn't sure who else around me, besides Max, could have had it out for Richard and his crew.

"Wait for me to come back," Max whispered, pulling me into a tight embrace, my head buried in his chest. His warm hand tenderly stroked my hair.

"And I'll stay with you till you fall asleep again," he added.

He gently laid me down on the bed, then wrapped his arms around me, and we both drifted off to sleep.

But my sleep was restless, though I dared not let him notice, pretending to be sound asleep.

Eventually, he got up, trying not to make a sound, and left the room.

As he left, I overheard him whispering in the hallway, though I couldn't see who he was talking to: "The contract got stolen, didn't it?"

It seemed like the person on the other end confirmed it.

Then he said, "No worries. I was hoping she'd steal it. You take care of things in Crestview Metropolis for the next few days. I'm heading to Elmwood Springs."

His voice faded away...

Curled up under the covers, I realized that I needed to make my escape with him gone to Elmwood Springs. That would surely distract Richard. He'd come after me, taking the heat off Max, right?

Come morning, I told Helen I needed to get out for a bit.

She frowned slightly. She really thought Max wanted to keep me locked up.

"Did Max tell you I'm not allowed to step out of this room?" I pressed.

Helen shook her head. "Doesn't seem like it."

"Well, a breath of fresh air in the garden wouldn't hurt, right?"

She bit her lip. "Okay."

As she let me out, she stayed close, asking, "Where's Mr. Hilton off to this time? Do you know? He left in the middle of the night."

"If you don't know, I sure can't help you. We had a fight last night, and he stormed out."

Helen looked down. "Ms. Claire, do you want to leave this place?"

I gave a small smirk. Was she finally biting the bait?