CHAPTER 374: WHERE'S THE DOUGH

The tires crunched on the gravel as Carol steered the car more deeply into the woods, following Sasha's cryptic directions. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig sent a jolt of fear through her. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be over. "Are you sure this is the place?" Carol asked, her voice barely a whisper over the engine's hum. Sasha, perched in the passenger seat, remained impassive. "It is." They reached a clearing, a small ramshackle hut barely visible in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. Carol's breath hitched. This was it. "Turn off the engine," Sasha instructed. Carol obeyed, the sudden silence pressing in on them. Her heart hammered against her ribs. "What if they do something to me?" she exclaimed, the question she'd been choking back for the entire drive. Sasha finally turned to her, "You have to trust me, Carol. This is the only way." Carol swallowed, the taste of fear metallic in her mouth. Trust. Trusting Sasha felt like