Hearing Poppy''s cry, Soren''s head snapped up. His eyes found Evangeline first, and he stopped in his tracks.


    Her wrists were bound tightly with coarse rope. Even from a distance, he could see the raw, red marks chafed into her skin. A sharp, unexpected painnced through his heart.


    Poppy saw where Soren''s gaze was fixed. She bit her lip, a familiar wave of disappointment washing over her. Since he had arrived, he had given her only a fleeting nce, while his eyes remained locked on Evangeline.


    The jealousy that had been momentarily suppressed by fear red up once more. She looked over at Evangeline, dangling from the rope, and a dangerous thought entered her mind.


    She suddenly wished the rope would break. Evangeline would fall, and her body would never be found.


    The thought horrified her, and she quickly pushed it away. Luckily, no one had noticed.


    Soren finally tore his eyes away from Evangeline and focused on Mr. Howard. Seeing who their captor was, his expression turned to ice. "I came alone," he said, his voice clipped. "The money and the car are here. As we agreed, let them go."


    Mr. Howard smiled. "Oh, I can let someone go."


    He looked from Evangeline to Poppy and back again, his smile widening. "They''re both here, Mr. Fawkes. You get to pick one to take with you."


    His words stunned all three of them into silence.


    "What do you mean?" Soren''s voice was colder now, his heart sinking as he began to understand Mr. Howard''s true intentions.


    As expected, Howard''s tone waszy. "It means exactly what it sounds like. Thirty million and a car is only enough for one of them."


    "As for the other one..." He brought the dagger up, wedging the de between the taut rope and the tree trunk. "This knife is quite sharp. One little flick, and the rope will snap. Then she goes He made a swooping gesture with his other hand. "St."


    Heughed. "It''s a wilderness area down there. If she dies, you''ll never even find the body."


    All three of them stared at the dagger, their hearts pounding as they watched the de press against the rope.


    "Stop!" Soren yelled, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. This was far worse than he had imagined. It was clear now that Howard was never after the money. This was all just a twisted game.


    Soren gritted his teeth and looked up at the two women suspended in the air. He couldn''t choose.


    "A difficult choice, isn''t it, Mr. Fawkes?" Howard said. "Don''t worry, I''ll give you three minutes to think about it."


    He set the timer on his watch and leaned back in his wheelchair, tapping his fingers against the armrest as he waited, even humming a little tune.


    "Melvin, this is between you and me!" Soren said, his voice tight. "I know you hate me. If you want revenge, take it out on me. Don''t involve them What did had nothing to do with them. You want my leg Fine. I''ll give you the chance."


    He started to walk forward.


    "Soren, no!" Poppy screamed.


    Mr. Howard immediately pressed the dagger closer to the rope. "Don''te any closer, Mr. Fawkes. See that rock over there if your foot crosses that line, I''ll cut both ropes. You''ll regret it."


    Soren clenched his fists. "Melvin, a real man doesn''t hide behind women."