A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 636

Inside the VIP suite at Sacred Heart Hospital.

Suzanne had slipped into a deep, exhausted sleep last night the moment she heard Elissa was safe.

When she finally opened her eyes, Tristan and Laurel were sitting by her bedside, refusing to leave her side.

She barely spared Tristan a glance, her heart aching as she looked at her eldest daughter. "Did you stay here all night?"

"You're my mother. How could I sleep anywhere else?"

Laurel's eyes were shadowed with exhaustion, though she was used to functioning on fumes. After helping Suzanne into the bathroom to freshen up, she sat back down. At her mother's insistence, she gave a meticulous play-by-play of the previous night's rescue.

Even though everyone had made it back in one piece, Suzanne still felt her blood run cold hearing the details.

"You're telling me she took down a six-foot-tall man completely on her own?"

"Yeah."

Laurel nodded, feeling a newfound, genuine respect for her younger sister.

The three Wilkinson siblings had been rigorously trained in self-defense by their grandfather since childhood. But that guy, Specs, was clearly a seasoned professional. Even Laurel wasn't entirely sure she could have dropped him that easily.

When Laurel had slipped that silver needle into Elissa's sleeve, it was just a desperate roll of the dice.

She never imagined Elissa would actually use it to secure her own safety, completely flipping the power dynamic and giving the Wilkinsons the upper hand in the negotiations.

As they spoke, Serena knocked softly and stepped into the room, leaning down to whisper something into Laurel's ear.

Laurel's expression shifted slightly. She stood up and looked at her mother. "Mom, I have to handle some work stuff. I'll be right back."

"Alright."

Suzanne didn't question it.

Laurel's career in politics was highly sensitive, and the entire family was used to her dealing with classified emergencies.

Laurel stepped into the hallway. The second Serena clicked the door shut behind them, the warmth completely vanished from Laurel's eyes, replaced by a freezing detachment. "Did she die at the Crest estate?"

Serena shook her head. "Not yet. She's currently stabilized, but it doesn't look good for the baby. The Crests actually contacted Sacred Heart, trying to transfer her here so Professor Sterling could take over, but we denied the request immediately..."

"That's enough."

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