A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 629

She distinctly remembered only ever telling Rowan that Paige Jensen was responsible for her adoptive parents' death. She had never once mentioned the name Orion Stone.

Rowan wasn't surprised by the question. He walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and carefully tucked the blankets around her before answering. "I don't just know who he is."

He paused, gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear under her questioning gaze. "I also know that Paige Jensen used the criminal network Orion left behind when he went to prison to murder your adoptive parents. She did it to avenge him."

Elissa was stunned. He knew even more about her own tragedy than she did.

"Since getting out of prison recently, Orion has kept a remarkably low profile. He's biding his time. I don't think he plans on clashing with us directly anytime soon."

She followed his logic. "So tonight was the perfect opportunity to see if we could track him down?"

"Exactly." Rowan nodded in approval. Orion hadn't made a direct move yet, likely because his power had diminished significantly during his long stint behind bars. If they gave him time to rebuild, he would become an absolute nightmare. For Rowan, Orion was a threat who would undoubtedly help Paige seize control of the Murphy Group. For Elissa... the danger was even more personal. They had to drag him out of the shadows as quickly as possible.

Elissa bit her lip. "But... won't that put you in danger?"

After tonight, Rowan would never allow anyone another chance to hurt her. But what about himself? He would inevitably be putting himself on the front lines. In the past, he had operated recklessly, throwing himself into life-or-death situations to secure a victory.

Rowan looked deeply into her eyes. "I won't let anything happen to me, either."

"Promise?"

Rowan instantly saw the anxiety pooling in her eyes. He knew his men had probably told her all about his suicidal tactics from the early days. Back then, his only goal had been to seize power as fast as possible so he could gain the leverage needed to destroy Paige and bring Elissa safely back under his protection. Because of that, he had constantly used scorched-earth tactics, destroying himself just to take his enemies down with him.

But things were entirely different now.

He grasped her soft, warm hand and nodded solemnly. "Little Nine, back then I had nothing left to lose. It's different now. You and Grandma need me."

Elissa understood the true weight of his words. It wasn't that she and his grandmother hadn't needed him back then; it was that he hadn't possessed the power to give them anything—not even the guarantee of his own life. His only option had been to bet everything on a single, desperate gamble. Now, he had the power to protect them, so he would never recklessly throw his life away again.

Elissa reached up, hooking her arms around his neck, and reminded him softly, "It's not just me and Grandma. It's the baby, too."

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