Valerie Thorne’s POV:

Elvis left. He got an urgent call from his home a week ago. So, he immediately left for his hometown. And here I was, still struggling, still trying to win more local alliances.

In place of Elvis, the other guard, Jeremy, remained by my side in all the meetings. He wasn’t as chatty or friendly as Elvis. But he was efficient. He was quiet most of the time, but he was a good observer. And most importantly, he was loyal to Raven, not me. And that fact alone kept me on ...