Chapter 40

• As the tires hummed against the asphalt, Andrew strategized his approach. If he went in the obvious way, it would be impossible to effectively convey his disdain for the leader's manipulative games. Yet, the secretive entry promised a potentially volatile encounter, and the thought of another descent into madness left him cursing once more.
• Would his past transgressions always circle back to haunt him? Was a life of peace too much to ask before some vengeful adversary successfully brought him down? More questions crowded his mind, shifting his thoughts back to Emerald Fajardo's face, her earlier panic-stricken expression cutting through his mental noise.
• Her question echoed in his mind: Was she the girl in the note? The truth itself had seized his breath, rendering him speechless as terror gripped him. Against his every instinct, he wished she could remain blissfully unaware of the grim reality, believing life was a bed of roses.