Chapter 259

With the last remnants of her fading strength, Evelyn Sinclair stumbled back into the dense jungle.

Thankfully, she'd had the foresight to change into sturdy hiking boots before boarding that cursed plane.

Without them, she would have been dead days ago.

The towering trees of this uncharted rainforest stretched impossibly high, their massive trunks wider than three men standing side by side.

Evelyn dragged her battered body forward, her scratched hands leaving smears of crimson against the rough bark.

The pain barely registered anymore.

When you're waiting to die, minor injuries become meaningless.

"Leo," she croaked, her voice raw from dehydration. "Any sign of fruit?"

The AI tiger shook its tiny head, the motion sending another wave of despair through her.

Her vision swam as she took another faltering step.

Then the ground disappeared beneath her.

Evelyn crashed face-first into the muddy earth, her body too weak to catch herself.

Leo scrambled from her pocket, circling her frantically before suddenly freezing.

With unnatural speed, the mechanical creature dove back into hiding.

"Mommy, people coming!"

Evelyn tried to lift her head, but her muscles refused to obey.

Heavy footsteps thudded around her, accompanied by guttural voices speaking an unfamiliar dialect.

She knew seventeen languages fluently - this wasn't one of them.

People existed on this godforsaken island? After days of searching?

But her fleeting hope curdled into dread as rough hands grabbed her limbs, hauling her up like a sack of meat.

The jostling journey felt like being dragged over broken glass.

An unbidden image flashed through her mind - a roasted pig carried to the butcher's block.

Seriously? After everything, now I'm tribal dinner?

Evelyn swore silently. If this was Nathan Blackwood's idea of a rescue, she'd make him regret it.

If it was the Sterlings... well, Alexander would hear about their appalling hospitality.

And if these were just random islanders?

She'd survive this too.

The world faded to black long before they reached their destination.

A thousand nautical miles away, two helicopters converged over churning waves.

Harrison had pulled every string to get Lucas Sterling here.

They needed to combine resources if they stood any chance of finding Evelyn.

Nathan looked like death warmed over - eyes bloodshot, jaw clenched, his entire being radiating barely-contained panic.

Lucas dropped into the seat opposite, cracking open a vodka bottle with his teeth.

He spat the cap overboard, his own red-rimmed eyes locking onto Nathan's.

"Cut the martyr act. Who exactly are you trying to fool?"

Nathan didn't flinch, his gaze fixed on the horizon where Evelyn had disappeared.

The silence stretched, thick with unspoken accusations.

To the Sterlings, Nathan would always be the bastard who broke their sister's heart.

The monster who'd practically handed her a death sentence.

Lucas's voice turned glacial. "My father says you've done enough. This isn't your debt to pay."

The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

Nathan finally met his eyes, his voice gravel-rough. "I'm not here for your family."

Every word landed like a physical blow.

"I'm here for Evelyn. For that one-in-a-million chance she's still alive."

No body meant hope.

And Nathan would cling to that hope until his last breath.

Lucas stiffened, the words hitting harder than he'd expected.

"Then why the hell did you treat her like garbage?" he exploded. "We worshipped the ground she walked on, and you threw her away like yesterday's trash!"

Nathan's face drained of color.

The truth always hurt most when it came from someone else's lips.