"Yes, Jesus." He rips off his mask and tosses it onto the floor as the van lurches forward. "I think your Oscar-worthy performance back there will leave permanent scars on my arm.

He pulls up his sleeve to examine the damage while I try to make this situation make sense. My eyes move to the driver. She's wearing a hooded cloak and big black sunglasses, but I'd recognize those red nails anywhere.

"What the hell is going on?" I demand. "Why are you and Madame Dubois kidnapping me?"

Georgie blinks, his gaze moving over my face before he sucks in a sharp breath. "Did you not read your text messages?"

Text messages? I glance down at my dress, realizing I don’t even have my phone.

Georgie mutters a curse and produces the burner phone from his pocket. He must have grabbed it in the scuffle. When he pulls up the screen and checks for himself, his brows draw together, and then his gaze snaps to mine.

"Jesus, babe, you really didn't know? Oh my god." He pulls me in for a hug, and I release a long breath.

"What is going on?" I ask.

"Solana texted you," he explains. "We have a plan to help you hide. God, sweetheart, you must have been so terrified. I thought you knew, and you were just laying it on thick."

I half laugh, half cry before I pull back to look at him and shake my head. "I didn't know. I was just focusing on getting to the condo, and the next thing I know, you’re abducting me."

He nods in understanding and then slowly eases me onto a bench seat, giving my hand a squeeze before he releases it and sits beside me. It's at about this point it occurs to me I still have no idea where we're going or what's happening.

"You didn't need to do this," I tell him. "I have cash at my place. I was just going to grab it, and—"

"No, you don't," Georgie interrupts solemnly. "He took it."

It's impossible to miss the disapproval in his tone, and I don't have to ask who he's referring to. Of course, it could only be Judge. He didn't want me to have any means of leaving.

I swallow and dip my head as that news settles over me. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that, but my gut tells me this isn't good.

"Oh, God." I bring my trembling fingers to my forehead, pressing them against the rising tension. "What am I going to do? They're never going to let me go."

"It's okay." Georgie rubs my back. "We have a safe space for you. We'll keep you there until we can figure something out."