Chapter 341Marco spoke first, breaking the silence with a slight smirk, his legs crossed and one eyebrow raised. “So, what do you suggest we do now?” he asked, his tone challenging.Williams looked at Marco, who sat confidently across the table with his legs crossed, his gaze piercing and his arms casually folded. A heavy silence filled the room, and the rest of the lieutenants watched him, waiting for his response. Williams let the silence stretch, intentionally taking his time to slip his phone back into his pocket.Finally, he met Marco’s gaze and said, “I say you gather all your squads—every single one of them. No one’s sitting this out.”Marco leaned forward, his brow furrowing slightly. “And for what, exactly?” he asked, his tone both skeptical and slightly challenging.“Don’t you understand? All my attempts to contact Sasha have been pointless, and I’m sure you’ve all noticed it by now,” Williams said.The lieutenants couldn’t deny it. They, too, had been trying to reach Sasha
Chapter 342Jaxon was in his dimly lit hotel room at sky suite with Milly cuddling when the silence was broken when his phone vibrated. It was Ken. Jaxon picked up, his voice sharp.“Yeah? What is it?”Ken’s voice was steady but held an edge of urgency. “Bad news, Jaxon. Ben, one of the thugs with us has been taken.”Jaxon stopped pacing. His hand clenched around the phone. “What do you mean, taken? When?”“It happened when he was on that lookout job for your father, Mr. Sterling. He didn’t return. It’s been over a day now.”Jaxon cursed under his breath, rubbing his temples. “And you didn’t tell me sooner?”Ken hesitated. “We wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a delay. But now… it’s pretty clear. He’s not even picking his calls.”“So what do you want me to do now?” Jaxon’s voice was cold, a mix of anger and fear.“We want you to check out if your father is behind it,” Ken replied. “Who knows? The old man might be a lot smarter than we assumed.”Jaxon’s temper flared, and he barked, “
Chapter 343James had received word from Eric that Gwen had been rescued from one of Mr. Sterling’s properties outside of town.After all, according to Eric, it was James himself who had given him the tip, allowing him to pull together a team of police officers to bring her to safety.The last time he spoke with Eric, James had hinted that he and Gregor had caught one of the kidnappers and promised to tell Eric everything once he sees him at the office.Now, James walked into the dimly lit room where they were keeping Ben. In his hand, he held a tray of food—two sandwiches, a bowl of thick soup, and a bottle of water. He placed it on the small table in front of Ben, whose wrists were lightly cuffed, enough to limit movement without making eating impossible.“This should be enough for now, right?” James asked, crossing his arms and watching Ben closely.Ben didn’t respond; he simply lunged at the food, tearing into the sandwich. The bread was fresh, filled with thick slices of ham and
Chapter 344As James disappeared down the hallway, Gregor leaned back in his chair, his mind still running in circles around their situation. They needed a solid plan if they had any hope of rescuing the boy and keeping their own intentions hidden.For nearly an hour, he turned ideas over in his mind, but none seemed quite right. The weight of the unknown was pressing on him, making his thoughts feel clouded and heavy. With a sigh, he stood, rubbing his temples, and decided a walk might help clear his head.Gregor stepped out into the open air, taking a long breath as the familiar, gritty scent of Montgomery Street filled his nose.This street held so many memories, though not all of them were good. It was here that he’d grown up, in a rundown apartment building, part of the roughest side of Emerald Falls.His mother had raised him and his younger sister alone in that very apartment, doing her best to scrape by in a place where poverty clung to the streets as thickly as the dust on th
Chapter 345Gregor hurried back into his apartment, taking in the space with a critical eye. He knew Nathaniel Grey would scrutinize every detail, so he straightened up a few things, carefully arranging them to look natural while hiding anything that might reveal Ben’s presence. The faint scent of the soup from the apartment they kept Ben still lingered, so he opened a window to air the place out, hoping it wouldn’t seem suspicious. Just as he finished tidying, his phone rang.He picked it up, and Kai’s voice was cool on the other end of the line. “I’m at the entrance of your street.”Gregor swallowed, forcing calm into his tone. “Alright. I’ll be there to get you in a minute.” He ended the call, took a final glance around the room, and headed out.Stepping outside, he quickly spotted Nathaniel Grey approaching.Kai cut a sharp, commanding figure as always. He was dressed in a tailored black coat, unbuttoned over a crisp white dress shirt. A dark gray scarf was wrapped loosely around
Chapter 346After visiting Gregor, Kai drove back to Carter Comb, mulling over the meeting. He hadn’t seen Gregor in several days, which had prompted his visit to see what might be going on.Though he’d hired Gregor as a private investigator, Kai wasn’t particularly confident in Gregor’s abilities to solve the case. In truth, he was using him primarily as a front to keep the authorities at bay. By having a registered investigator on the case, he could prevent the police from getting too involved, which was in his best interest.In Kai’s mind, the list of potential suspects was already narrowed down—he was nearly certain that either Mr. Sterling and Williams or Eric Wood were behind the attacks on Liam Carter. Though he had no hard evidence, his gut told him that one of these players was involved, and he believed it was only a matter of time before he figured out who was responsible.Yet, something about his visit to Gregor didn’t sit right. Gregor had claimed to be unwell, but Kai did
Chapter 347The doors slid open to reveal the top floor, where soft lighting cast a warm glow on polished wood and glass surfaces.Liam’s office was located at the far end of the hall. As Kai entered, he saw Liam standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, his back turned, a glass of what looked like rare Bordeaux in his hand. The view overlooked the city’s twinkling lights, casting a reflective glow on the glass walls.Without turning around, Liam spoke, his tone edged with impatience. “Where have you been?” He took a leisurely sip of his wine, eyes fixed on the darkening skyline.Kai straightened his posture before answering. “I went to check on the private investigator. He hasn’t been in touch lately, so I decided to see what was going on.”Liam let out a short, dismissive laugh, finally setting his glass down on the table beside him. He turned, fixing Kai with a sharp gaze. “Why waste your time with some low-life investigator when we already know who’s responsible for the assassinati
Chapter 348“Hmm. I still think you should not let your emotions cloud your judgment,” Kai replied.“You still don’t get where I’m coming from,” Liam said. “The police came to my office today to ask me a few questions concerning the second assasination attempt.”Kai stayed silent, absorbing the weight of Liam’s words. The police were here! Which annoyed him. He leaned forward, looking at Liam with curiosity. “The police were here?” he asked, his voice low and cautious.Liam cleared his throat, his gaze intense. “Yes. While you were out dealing with that so-called investigator, Detective Andrew came to my office,” he began, his voice laced with irritation. “He had a few questions for me.”Kai’s patience wore thin, and he cut in sharply. “Questions about what?”Liam took a measured breath before continuing. “He wanted to know if I had any connections to gang organizations outside of Emerald Falls—specifically, in Red Waters. The detective mentioned they’ve identified the assassin who at