Poppy stared at her, clearly stunned.


    The look of miserable indignation on her face morphed into one of pure shock as her eyes raked over Evangeline from head to toe.


    She couldn''t seem to believe it.


    Just moments ago, she had been convinced that Evangeline was the one who had kidnapped her. After all, right before she was taken, she''d received news that the men she''d sent after Evangeline had failed and been handed over to the police. She had assumed this was Evangeline''s revenge.


    But now, seeing Evangeline also bound and brought here...


    Poppy''s gaze fixed on the ropes securing Evangeline, still harboring a sliver of doubt. Was this all an borate act?


    "Evangeline? You were captured too?" she asked, her toneced with suspicion. "Are you really a prisoner, or is this some kind of trick?"


    Before Evangeline could respond, one of the men shoved her toward another chair and tied her up securely.


    "You two, just sit there and be quiet," the man who appeared to be the leader said coldly before walking out. The other men followed, leaving just two guards behind to watch them.


    Evangeline scanned her surroundings. It looked like a warehouse, cluttered with fishings, old tires, and cans of gasoline. The air was damp, andrge puddles of water covered the floor. They were near water-the coast or maybe ake.


    She looked up at the warehouse windows. They were set high up on the wall, at least ten feet off the ground, and covered with iron bars. Outside, it was too dark to see anything.


    "Don''t bother looking. There''s no way out," Poppy said from the side. "On the way here, I screamed for


    help the whole time, and they didn''t even try to shut me up. That means there''s no one around to hear us."


    Evangeline nced at her but didn''t reply.


    Poppy, feeling snubbed, fell silent. But from Evangeline''s expression, she could tell this probably wasn''t some self orchestrated drama More importantly, she couldn''t think of a single reason why Evangeline would go to such lengths.


    Seeing that Evangeline had no intention of talking to her, Poppy gave up.


    Hours passed. Poppy''s initial shock had worn off, reced by a gnawing fear she couldn''t shake. She finally couldn''t stand the silence anymore. Seeing Evangeline lost in thought, she spoke up.


    "Evangeline, aren''t you scared? The people who brought us here are Soren''s enemies. They want to hurt him. They might not let us go."


    Evangeline was busy trying to formte a n.


    Her phone had been taken, but they hadn''t been thorough enough to take her rings.


    Her mother''s ring and the one from Finn were still on her fingers.


    She didn''t know if Finn''s ring had a tracker, but she was considering using the concealed de to cut the ropes.


    However, with two guards watching, she was worried any sudden movement would attract unwanted attention. Since she had judged that they were not in immediate danger, she had temporarily shelved the idea of a direct escape.


    Poppy''s voice brought her back to the present. She looked up. "Are you afraid?" she asked coolly. "I would have thought after all the dangerous situations you''ve been in, you''d be more ustomed to this."


    Poppy caught the sarcasm in her tone and bit her lip. "I know you resent me, but right now, we''re in the same boat. We should put aside our personal issues and figure out what to do."