Shawn laughed as he hooked an arm through Eva's and stood affectionately beside her. "Why are you wasting your breath on trash like him, Eva? Just have them thrown into a cement mixer. We can't let them soil a good piece of land like this."

Melissa immediately nodded ingratiatingly, paying no mind to her wounded leg. "Mr. Eckhart is right. Penniless trash like them should just be wiped from this world."

"Precisely." Shawn kicked at the pebbles on the ground. "I'm going to build the most luxurious private horse ranch in the entire continent here. I can't let them jinx the place."

"Are you sure you want to resort to such extremes with me, Eva?" I asked her one last time.

"Resort to such extremes?" Eva snorted. "You think too highly of yourself. Killing you is just as easy as squashing a fly."

Shawn lifted his chin smugly. "Do you even know who I am? I'm the most famous celebrity in the entire country of Dartland. I'm the king of the entertainment industry. Beggars like you aren't even worthy of kissing the ground I walk on."

My chest tightened, and I nearly lost my balance, but I drew myself up tall and stood defensively in front of Lucy.

"Get on with it, Melissa," Eva ordered coolly. "It doesn't matter if he dies."

"Wait a second," Shawn called out with renewed interest, his eyes gleaming with malice. "I've changed my mind. Tell this lunatic to get on all fours and bark like a dog. If he does it well, I'll consider letting them die a less painful death."

Eva nodded at him with a look of adoration. "Whatever you say, Shawn."

"You'll regret this, Eva," I declared, my jaw clenched.

"I'll regret this, you say?" Eva burst into laughter. "I've never regretted a single thing in my life. You're the one who's about to die, Henry. Yet here you are, trying to act tough."

Melissa swiftly handed Shawn a dog collar and a riding whip. "You can use this to train him, Mr. Eckhart."

Shawn took the whip and swung it around a few times in excitement. "It's been ages since I've found a game this amusing."

"You have one last chance," Eva said as she checked her watch. "Either get down and bark like a dog, or die."

"I look forward to seeing how you end up, Eva," I replied, sneering. "I hope you can maintain this arrogance when the time comes."

I'd calculated the timing. Based on my knowledge of General Hudson's temper and the efficiency of the special forces, I knew they were about to arrive.

True enough, a thunderous roar erupted from the sky. A forceful wind swept across the area as several camouflaged armed helicopters approached from afar, circling low overhead.

At the same time, a bodyguard came running frantically up the hill, almost stumbling as he did.

"Ms. Fuller! Ms. Abbott! Something's happening! There's a whole convoy of military vehicles charging up the hill as we speak. I recognized the military license plates!"