CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE – A FAITHFUL ALLY

Scarlett didn't slow her panicked flight until she was several blocks away from the Terracotta Enterprises building. Only then did she fumble for her phone and dial the one person she could trust implicitly. "Clara? It's me, Scarlett." Her voice came out shaky, barely holding back the tears threatening to spill over. "Scarlett? Honey, what's wrong?" Clara's familiar voice crackled with instant concern. "You sound absolutely distraught." Scarlett swallowed hard, fighting to regain her composure. "I...I just had the most horrifying experience, Clara. I'm shaken to my core and I need you here with me." "Of course, of course," Clara soothed instantly. "Just tell me where you are. I'm on my way right now." After relaying her location at a nearby park, Scarlett disconnected and sank down onto a bench, drawing in several deep, steadying breaths. She loved Clara like a sister, but revealing the full extent of the nightmare she'd been living would be incredibly difficult. Twenty minutes l