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Two salvage teams had already gathered at the scene, but standard recovery crews couldn't dive over two hundred feet into freezing river currents. They needed specialized deep-sea divers, and there were barely any in the country capable of hitting that depth—certainly none readily available in Empire City. They would have to be flown in immediately from out of state.

It was going to cost an absolute fortune, and it entirely depended on whether the victim's family was willing to foot the bill.

The police quickly ran Winona's plates and tried to contact her next of kin, only to discover her legal status was listed as an orphan.

They did find a registered spouse, so they attempted to contact Zachary Shaw.

But his phone was completely unreachable, forcing the operation into a temporary standstill.

When Sienna heard the report from her inside man, her eyes blazed with wild ecstasy. Was Winona actually dead?

She desperately wanted to drive to the bridge and see it for herself, but she knew she had to maintain her cover.

Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs as she lay in the hospital bed, her eyes shining with smug victory.

*

When Winona woke up, the room was pitch black. It was so dark she genuinely thought she had gone blind.

She reached up to touch her throbbing head, only to freeze when a deep male voice cut through the silence. "Don't move."

She flinched. The darkness was absolute; she hadn't even realized someone was sitting right next to her.

Panic flared in her chest, and she scrambled to feel her surroundings.

"Your eyes are fine," he said calmly. "I'm just used to the dark."

Winona slowly exhaled. Whoever this was had treated her head wound, which meant he wasn't here to kill her.

She slumped back onto the mattress, her voice raspy. "Where am I?"

"My place."

"Why did you save me?"

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