Averie didn't sleep.

She paced her room until dawn, replaying the message again and again.

You think no one's watching, but they are. Tell your pretty mechanic goodbye.

Or we'll do it for you.

She didn't need to ask who "we" was.

Her father's people. Campaign rats. The kind who wore polished shoes and had files on everyone in town. The kind who could destroy a family with a whisper - or worse, make someone disappear from the headlines and the world.

She dressed quickly - ripped jeans, plain tee, hair tied back. No makeup. No pearls. No

Averie Langford, the polished politician's daughter.

Just the girl who kissed Wes Marrow under a willow tree and knew she'd never be the same.

The mechanic shop was still closed.

She walked the perimeter twice, tried the side entrance, peered through the windows. Darkness.

No sign of him.

She pulled out her phone and texted him.

I need to see you. Please. I don't care what they said.

No response.

She tried again.

They threatened you. I'm not going to let them scare me off.

Still nothing.

Her hands trembled. She couldn't lose him - not now. Not when she'd finally found something real.

A throat cleared behind her.

Averie spun around, startled.

A man in a suit stood by her car. Not young. Not old. Generic enough to blend into any crowd.

Langford security.

He didn't smile.

"Miss Averie," he said, voice clipped. "Your father asked me to escort you home."

Her stomach twisted. "I didn't ask for an escort."

"He was concerned. You've been? difficult to reach." he stated softly

She forced a polite smile. "You can tell my father I'll be home when I'm ready."

"I'm afraid I have instructions to bring you now." he said as he opened her car door, clearly expecting no resistance.

Her mask cracked.

"You're not dragging me anywhere," she snapped.

He didn't budge. "Let's not make this harder than it has to be."

Averie's mind raced. She could scream. She could run. But it wouldn't matter. If her father wanted her watched, she'd be watched.

And Wes? Wes was already in danger.

"Fine," she muttered, voice cold. "Let's go."

Back at the estate, she was escorted straight to her father's office like some political prisoner. The door shut behind her with an almost deliberate click.

Senator Langford stood at the window, back turned. He didn't look up when she entered.

"I hear you've developed a fascination with oil-stained boys from the south end," he said calmly.

Averie's spine went rigid. "So this is what we're doing now? Surveillance?"

He turned then, slowly. His eyes weren't angry. They were calculating.

"I don't care what you do with your time, Averie. But I do care when you start handing bullets to my enemies." He said with quiet fury

She crossed her arms. "He's not a threat."

"He's a Marrow," her father snapped. "They don't need to be threats. They're already liabilities."

Her jaw clenched. "He's not them."

"You think you're the first Langford to fall for a Marrow?" he asked, his voice cold.

"Your grandmother tried. Do you know what it got her? Scandal. Blackmail. Ruin."

Averie froze.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Her father's face gave nothing away. "You're being watched for your own protection. I suggest you stay away from him."

She took a step closer. "What happened to Grandma?"

He ignored the question, walking past her. "Dinner's at seven. Be presentable."

The door shut behind him.

Averie stood still for a long time, heart racing, something deeper beginning to burn in her chest.

Her father didn't just want control.

He wanted silence.

And he'd done it before.

That night, when everyone else was asleep, she slipped out.

She climbed the fence in her boots and ran.

She needed answers.

She needed Wes.

And she needed the truth about her family's history before they buried it again.

She pulled out her phone, texting him one more time.

I don't care who's watching. Meet me. Tonight. Beneath the willow.

Please. If you still want me.

I'm not going anywhere.

She hit send and didn't look back.