The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

In Rivenwood, in the depths of an off-the-grid prison unlike any other, the inmates were not your garden-variety criminals. Not even the hardened murderers found solace within these walls.

At present, this prison housed a mere tof prisoners.

Flynn, Scott, and Fiona Ellington.

Fiona, though her body was a patchwork of decay, possessed sensory faculties that rivaled a healthy man in his prime. However, this heightened perception meant she also endured agonies far beyond the ken of ordinary humans.

Flynn, too, lived each day in excruciating pain, a modern-day Prometheus, his vitals ravaged daily, only to regenerate each dawn anew. This was Vivienne’s brand of retribution.

Scott, in contrast, seemed almost content. Free from the physical torment, his punishment was a Sisyphean task of endless paperwork. He accepted his fate with a disarming calmness, even pointing out errors for correction by his wardens from the Vanguard Agency.

Many said Scott was the quietest of the three.

Vivienne and Karen arrived to find Soren and Anna waiting at the gate.

“Ms. Vivienne, Ms. Karen,” Anna greeted as she adorned their wrists with security bands.

Back then, Vivienne was Percival’s wife, and Percival was the deputy. Thus, she had never needed such measures before, but times had changed.

Soren collected all their communication devices, casting curious glances at Karen. She gave him a playful warning, “Hotshot, any more staring, and you'll be crossing a line.” “My apologies, Captain,” Soren blurted a tad too quickly.

His curiosity stemmed from wondering why Percival respBed Karen so much to call her master.

“Don’t callCaptain; | have no plans of returning to the Vanguard Agency,” Karen said with a smirk before stepping through the threshold.

Vivienne followed, knowing all too well Karen's discomfort with the Agency's rigid structure and protocol.

Freedom was what Karen thrived on, and the Agency was anything but.

“Mom, this way,” Vivienne gestured toward a cell on the right.

But Karen's eyes were drawn to the left, to a cell secured with a state-of-the-art lock.

“That's Flynn's cell, the former head boss of CK, known as White Tiger,” Vivienne explained.

Karen merely nodded, but something about that cell made her skin crawl—a reluctance mingled with an unavoidable pull.

Vivienne sensed Karen's unease and offered, “Mom, do you want to take a look?” Karen snapped back to reality. “No, let's move on.” They arrived at Scott's cell to find him making the most of his confinement by exercising in a meticulously clean hundred-square-foot space.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Karen remarked dryly.

If only things were different and Scott had not been the second-in-command of GTO and had not been Belle’'s stand-in, he and Karen might have been good friends, like she was with Micah. They shared an unspoken understanding that cfrom a place of genuine kinship.

Upon hearing her voice, Scott froze, his body tensing up. Without turning, he knew—it was her. But he could not bring himself to look, fearing the disappointment if he had misheard.

Vivienne exited without saying a word. She could tell just how strong Scott's feelings toward Karen were, or he would not have gone easy on her so many times.

Nonetheless, Karen probably did not care about that at all, and neither would she appreciate it.

As Scott could be considered Karen's old flame, it was only polite to give them privacy.

Karen took a seat. “Old friend, long tno see.” At last, Scott turned, his eyes wide with disbelief. Approaching the bars that separated them, his hands shook as currents zapped from the metal. It hurt, but he did not let go.

It was her. She was alive! His eyes welled up, reaching out as if to touch her face like old times, but the electric barrier was a cruel reminder of the distance between them. His hand lingered before dropping to his side.

Karen maintained her characteristic smile. “Looks like I'm doing all the talking.” Scott let go, the current vanishing from his nerves. “Karen, have you been well all these years?” His voice cracked, betraying his fragility.

Karen nodded. “I've been fine, thanks for asking.” Scott chuckled sadly, words failing him. Thousands of thoughts choked in his throat, unsaid.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Karen spoke up again.

“Look, | didn’t chere to walk down memory lane,” she said, “I actually wanted to ask you about someone.

Do you know Noah?” Scott snapped back to the present. “Noah? The nrings a bell. Back in the day, | got sold to the GTO by the Brooks family. Once, this Vanguard Agency guy took a dozen of us, including me, from the base. | think his nwas Noah. What about him?” “Don’t you remember me?” Karen's brow furrowed with concern.

Scott looked puzzled. “What's that got to do with you?”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

She pulled out an old photograph, saying, “We were both in this group picture.” As Scott leaned in to examine the photo, a flicker of recognition crossed his face.

“You really are in this!” he exclaimed.

Karen was only ten at the time, but she had grown proportionately. Scott instantly recognized the little girl in the photo.

“My memories from that period are hazy at best,” admitted Scott. “All | recall is being injected with drugs every day, having blood drawn, and being force-fed medication. | hardly remember you. What about you? Do you remember me?” Karen shook her head. “I didn’t even realize | had taken this picture back then.” Scott's eyes widened as he began to understand.

“It seems F-Poison injected us with samnesiac drug. No wonder. F-Poison must have been around us back then, making sure to stay hidden.” “How can you be so sure F-Poison was there?” Scott chuckled. “GTO was not always big. Back then, they didn’t have many people. F-Poison had to get his hands dirty.” “I was bought by GTO when | was a kid, just like those other children, meant to be used for human trials. | remember being tortured with drugs until | was sixteen. Then, a woman toldmy body was not suited for the drugs and trainedto be an intelligence operative. Later, at eighteen, | made a deal with Belle. | helped them manipulate the Brooks family, and that’s how I finally made it back.”