CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE – RETURNING FOR HELP

Jasmine sank onto an overturned milk crate, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. The events of the morning crashed over her – the near-miss with Collins' men, the frantic chase through the city, and now this unexpected kindness from a stranger. She buried her face in her hands, allowing herself a moment of vulnerability in the relative safety of the storage room. Tears slipped between her fingers as the stress and fear of the past weeks finally caught up with her. How had her life come to this? Running from the law, hiding in the back room of a café, relying on the kindness of strangers to stay one step ahead of disaster? Jasmine's thoughts turned to Marco, to the Cesaro family, to the life she'd left behind. She wondered if she'd ever see them again, if she'd ever be able to explain why she'd run. And Rebecca – god, Rebecca must be worried sick. Jasmine had promised to call once she was safely away from the apartment. Now, hours later, her friend was probably imagining the worst.