Chapter 194

Rachel Collins didn’t say a word for quite a while—the grip on her hands loosened a bit, which Maria immediately caught onto. She glanced at James and said softly, “How about this? He leaves, and we talk, just the two of us.” Rachel hesitated, then nodded. “Go tell the cops—if they so much as step into this alley, she’s dead.” “Alright, alright, just calm down,” James said quickly, backing up step by step out of the alley. Outside, the police had formed a perimeter. Grace rushed over to James the moment she saw him, tears spilling down her cheeks. “How’s Maria? What’s going on?” James gave her a quick glance, then turned to the officers. “Maria’s finally gotten her a bit calm. They’re talking now—don’t do anything rash. Rachel said if she spots any cops moving in, Maria’s done for.” Grace sucked in a sharp breath, eyes locked on the female officer. She bit down on her lips to keep from crying out loud, tears falling nonstop like a broken faucet. The officer gently patted her back, tryi