The last time? They had made her kneel on pebbles for hours. And now?
She didn't even want to know.
Kai let out a low chuckle, his golden eyes glinting with something dangerous. "Spooky, isn't it?" he murmured, voice deceptively soft. "If you had already planned everything so well, you should've just told us. Right?"
Ray sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "You could've made our lives so much easier. But nooo, you had to keep secrets. Now look where we are."
Esme swallowed hard, resisting the urge to step back. Their anger wasn't loud. It wasn't explosive. No, it was calm—which made it so much worse.
Then, almost as if searching for a lifeline, Esme turned to the woman. "Listen, let me tell you a story—"
"Make it quick," Ray cut her off, his voice sharp. "We don't have time."
Esme flinched. Damn it.
She barely got a word out before Kai stepped forward and slapped her shoulder, making her jolt. "Esmeralda," he said her full name in a slow, measured tone, "we understand."
