I shook my head and eagerly pulled out a coconut laced with sleeping drugs.
"I was just worried you’d be thirsty, so I got you a coconut." I deliberately showed him my injured finger, as if I’d hurt myself while opening it.
Jaren took my hand, his brows furrowing. "Does it hurt?"
His eyes filled with distress, and his guard visibly dropped.
I urged him to drink quickly, asking if it was sweet enough.
A look of gratitude flooded his face. He downed the coconut water in one gulp. Moments later, his vision blurred, and he reached out for me.
I yanked my hand away and ran without looking back.
Ignoring the pain in my leg, I sprinted toward the escape route I had planned.
The drug’s effects wouldn’t last long so I had to leave before he woke up.
—
Meanwhile, Jaren woke up and realized Reese was gone.
At first, he was in disbelief. Then, panic set in as he searched frantically for her.
After a while, reality hit him—Reese was escaping.
He grabbed his phone and called his contacts on the mainland.
"Reese is missing! Activate the satellite tracking system and find her!"
Just then, a group of people arrived at the cave, stopping him.
They were sent by Suzzette.