Chapter: 14The morning mild filtered in through the inn curtains, casting a warm glow over the room, however, James felt none of its warm temperature. His heart has become like a block of ice, hardening the weight of his anger and resolution.As he paced the floor, his thoughts whirred with the consequences of Chloe's taunting smartphone call. She might also have denied any involvement in Lily's disappearance, but James knew better. Chloe's twisted games and jealous rage had eventually taken a devastating flip, and he might no longer loosen up till she paid for her actions.A sharp rap on the door drew him from his mind, and he crossed the room in prolonged strides, yanking it open to show Louis standing at the opportunity side, his expression grim."We need to speak," Louis said without preamble, brushing beyond James and into the room.James closed the door behind him, his jaw set in a hard line. "If that is approximately calling off the quest once more, you can overlook it. I'm not
Chapter 15The days following James' war of words with Chloe were a whirlwind of pastime. True to his phrase, he had mobilized each useful resource at his disposal, mounting a steady pursuit to deliver Chloe to justice.Yet, even as the evidence piled up and the authorities closed in, James could not shake the nagging experience of unease that plagued him. Lily became nonetheless missing, her destiny a looming query mark that haunted his every waking moment.It became certainly one of his restless nights, tossing and turning in the confines of his motel room, when his phone rang, shattering the silence like a gunshot. He fumbled for it, his heart pounding as he saw an unknown quantity flashing at the show."Hello?" he responded, his voice laced with a combination of preference and trepidation."James," a voice crackled over the street, distorted however unmistakably Chloe's. "Did you truly assume you could take me on and walk away unscathed?"James felt his blood run bloodless, his gr
Chapter 16The dim lighting fixtures of the deserted warehouse cast eerie shadows throughout the concrete floor, including an air of menace to the already tense surroundings. James stood in the middle of the cavernous area, flanked by way of Louis and a handful of relied-on gang – every one a hardened veteran, their expressions grim and unyielding."Alright, pay attention up," James said, his voice a low rumble that carried weight and authority. "We're going to take a look over the plan one greater time, and I need to make sure everybody is aware of their roles to the letter."He turned to a burly guy with a shaved head and a jagged scar strolling down his cheek. "Paulie, you and your crew might be liable for securing the perimeter. I need eyes and ears on each viable entry and go-out point. No one goes in or out without our say-so."Paulie nodded, his expression emotionless. "You got it, boss. My guys are locked and loaded."James then turned his attention to a slim, wiry man with a
Chapter 17The deserted production unit became eerily silent as James and his group took up their positions, the most effective sound was the faint echo in their footsteps towards the concrete floor. Tension hung thick within the air, a palpable pressure that seemed to crackle with the promise of impending violence.James crouched behind a stack of crates, his grip tight on his weapon as he peered out on the open expanse of the primary ground. Somewhere inside this maze of shadows and metallic, Lily modified into being held captive – a notion that despatched waves of fury crashing through him.A mild movement to his left drew his attention, and he saw Louis sliding into function beside him, his expression grim."Marco's institution is in position," Louis murmured, his voice slightly above a whisper. "They have eyes on Chloe and her group, but no sign of Lily."James felt his jaw tighten, his knuckles whitening across the grip of his gun. "Keep looking," he said through gritted teeth.
Chapter 18It has been a few days still the big showdown on the deserted manufacturing facility. Lily resigned from work and stayed home to rest, convalescing from her accidents after the crazy hostage scenario with Chloe. Even though she changed into pretty banged-up, she felt quite relieved that the nightmare was finally over.James hadn't left her side considering rescuing her. He felt so guilty about getting her mixed up in all his psycho ex-fiancée's drama, however, Lily tried comforting him that it wasn't his fault. She was just glad they could move forward now, together.One morning, as Lily slowly woke up, she observed James wasn't beside her in bed. That changed into bizarre – he usually waited till she became wide awake earlier than leaving the room. She shrugged it off in the beginning, figuring he just got an early beginning to his day. But then she heard loud voices coming from the hallway out the doors to the bedroom. She immediately recognized James' voice, it sounded
Chapter 19 Lily woke up feeling like total crap. Her body ached all over from the lingering bruises and her head was pounding. She figured it was from worry more than anything. It had been almost a week since Chloe's creepy phone call and there was still no sign of that twisted psycho. She rolled over, half expecting James to be gone already. He had been obsessed with finding Chloe, working pretty much around the clock with his security team. But to Lily's surprise, he was still there lying next to her, sleeping peacefully. His presence immediately made her feel a little calmer. Not wanting to disturb him, Lily just watched James sleep for a while. She hated seeing the exhaustion etched on his face lately. This whole Chloe fiasco was doing a number on him. Lily felt a surge of guilt - if she had never drunkenly married him that night, none of this would have happened. As if he could sense her watching him, James started to stir. His eyes fluttered open and settled on Lily with a s
Chapter 20 The next few days have been essentially a blur for Lily. Between looking to get over her injuries and the constant pressure of anticipating news on Chloe's whereabouts, she felt like she changed into dwelling in a peculiar limbo state. James was gone more than he was home, coordinating the manhunt along with his security men. Lily hated how hectic and preoccupied he seemed on every occasion they were together. She knew he was seeking to guard her, but the distance between them became in reality starting to wear on her. One night, Lily was curled up on the sofa mindlessly flipping through TV channels when James came through the door. He appeared past exhausted, with heavy bags underneath his eyes and a few days' worth of scruff on his chiseled jawline. "Hey you," Lily greeted him softly, patting the sofa cushion next to her in invitation. "Looks like a long day." James gave her a good smile and collapsed onto the sofa with a grunt, running a hand over his face wearily.
Chapter 21A couple of days later, Lily was fixing lunch in the kitchen when her phone started ringing. She glanced at the number - it was blocked again, just like the last time Chloe had called to taunt her.Her stomach dropped as she stared at the buzzing phone. Part of her didn't want to answer, scared of whatever deranged mind games that psycho might try. But then again, giving Chloe the silent treatment was probably exactly what she wanted.Taking a deep, steadying breath, Lily swiped to accept the call. "Hello?""Well, if it isn't always the little wifey," Chloe's sickly-candy voice at once grated on Lily's nerves. "Miss me?"Lily rolled her eyes so tough they nearly fell out of her head. "Can't say that I even have, no. What do you need this time, Chloe?"The other female let loose a derisive snicker. "Straight to the factor, I like that. Okay, I'll cut the chitchat - I wanted to individually extend you an invite.""An invitation?" Lily scoffed. "To what, your lobotomy? No than