"Actually..." Flint rubbed the back of his neck, backtracking frantically. "Ms. Quill, everything I said earlier was just my big mouth. The Boss didn''t bring you here to hurt you."


    His fierce, threatening demeanor from earlier waspletely gone. He had driven his car straight into a wall and was now desperately trying to reverse.


    "Oh?" Coralie stared at him with dead eyes. "Just tell me did Shanley order you to kidnap me or not?"


    Without his orders, there was no way Flint would have dared to touch her. She was a prominent figure in Caelus, after all.


    Flint opened his mouth, but no words came out. She had him there.


    "Ms. Quill—" Flint tried to plead, but Channing cut him off sharply.


    "She said she wants to see Shanley. Did you not hear her?"


    Flint clenched his fists, his temper ring. Coralie had the right to act haughty because she was Juniper''s sister. But who the hell did this boy toy think he was, ordering him around?


    "You-" Flint began, but one warning re from Coralie forced the words right back down his throat.


    Clearly, she was protective of the kid.


    "Fine." Seeing that Coralie wasn''t going to budge, Flint had no choice but to call his boss. "Boss-"


    "Did you find her?" Shanley asked, his voice deliberately calm since Juniper was right next to him.


    "We have her," Flint muttered, crouching miserably in a corner. "But she said... she wants you toe to her."


    Shanley''s eyes darkened instantly. It was obvious Flint had run his mouth and made things infinitely worse.


    "And, Boss..." Flint touched his neck, feeling like his head was already on the chopping block. "She got the DNA results, She knows Ms.


    ла


    yne


    is her sister Cottent


    That exined the sudden surge of confidence. She didn''t even care who Shanley was anymore.


    "Flint," Shanley ground out, his voice low and dangerous. "If you can''t learn to keep your mouth shut, I''ll have it permanently wired."


    "Boss-"


    The line went dead. Flint slumped against the wall, wanting to cry. Was he going to get exiled to Africa to dig up mummies?!


    Meanwhile, at Cloudscape Community.


    Juniper was growing increasingly anxious after failing to reach Coralie. "Still no word?"


    Since when were Shanley''s men this inefficient? Two hours was enough time to turn Era City upside down twice.


    "We found her," Shanley said. Knowing he couldn''t sneak away to


    grove private he reset


    himself


    to his fate. I''ll take you to her."


    Juniper gave him a suspicious look. He was acting weird, but she was too eager to


    see her sister to question it.


    Half an hourter, the sports car pulled up outside a rundown


    suburban house. The perimeter was packed with two distinct groups of men ring at each


    other-Shanley''s operatives and the Westshore Casino security guards she had seen before.


    "What''s going on?" Juniper asked, reaching for the door handle, but Shanley gently caught her wrist.


    She turned to him, raising an eyebrow.


    Shanley held her hand, his handsome face looking unusually awkward. "Can I...


    cash in a birthday wish early?"