All Chapters of Before love Lies: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

119 Chapters

The yacht

I exhaled slowly, the weight of Sam’s words settling in my chest. “We can’t stay here much longer, Michelle. If we do, they’ll catch us. It’s only a matter of time.”Michelle met my eyes, no fear there—only resolve. “Then we move. Now. Sam, there has to be a way out. Something they won’t see coming.”A faint electrical hum filled my ear before Sam spoke, his voice precise, almost calm.“There is one viable extraction route,” he said. “Undetected. Untracked. Unanticipated.”The main screen shifted, resolving into a satellite image of dark water edged by forest.“Your father owns a yacht,” Sam continued. “Five miles from here, concealed along the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan. Ownership is buried beneath shell companies and defunct trusts. No agency has linked the vessel to him.”Michelle raised an eyebrow. “A yacht. Of course he did.”“It is stocked, fueled, and maintained remotely,” Sam said. “Automated systems only. No local personnel. From there, I can route you beyond domestic

Angel bliss and high tides

Walking onto the ship, the smell of fish and seaweed hit me all at once—sharp, salty, alive. The deck shifted beneath my feet with the gentle rocking of the water, and for a brief second my stomach turned, reminding me how long it had been since anything in my life felt steady.The yacht creaked softly, like it was breathing.Then Sam’s voice filled the air, calm and familiar, echoing through hidden speakers.“Welcome aboard, Master John. Shall I set sail now, or would you like to wait?”I didn’t hesitate. Not this time.“Sam,” I said, tightening my grip on Michelle’s hand, “set sail.”There was a low mechanical hum, followed by the heavy clank of chains lifting. The sound rolled through the hull, deep and final, like a door closing on the world we were leaving behind. The engines came alive beneath our feet, a steady vibration that traveled up my legs and settled into my chest.The dock slowly pulled away. The shore—Michigan, the cabins, the blood, the lies—began to shrink, blurring

Quick escapes

Sam’s voice cut through the tension, calm but absolute, echoing from the overhead speakers.“Escape plan available. There is a submarine concealed within the lower hull. Once deployed, this vessel will initiate a self-destruct sequence. The yacht will be completely destroyed, leaving no trace of the ship or the submarine. I can continue guiding you to the secret base afterward. Shall I proceed?”“Yes, Sam,” I replied without hesitation. “Do it. Now.”“Confirmed, Master John,” he said. “Please arm yourself.”A hidden compartment slid open in the wall with a sharp hiss of hydraulics. Inside, perfectly aligned, were two silver 9mm pistols, cold and gleaming under the emergency lights. I grabbed both without thinking, the weight of them grounding me. Muscle memory kicked in—check the mags, rack the slide, safety off.Michelle was already at my side. Her eyes were wide, but steady. No panic. Just resolve.“Stay close to me,” I said, pressing one of the guns into her hand. “If anything happ

Jeff Fisherman

The base came alive as we stepped farther inside. Rows of screens flickered on, bathing the chamber in cold blue light. Names scrolled endlessly—politicians, generals, financiers, intelligence officers—each paired with a title, a jurisdiction, and a threat level. This wasn’t just information. It was leverage.Sam’s voice echoed through the vast room.“Master John, what information can I bring you?”I swallowed, feeling the weight of the moment press down on my chest. “Sam, give me a list of all allies that are in hiding.”There was a brief pause. The low hum of servers filled the silence, then the screens shifted. A new interface appeared, cleaner, more deliberate.“Compiling now,” Sam said. “Cross-referencing assets flagged as friendly to your father and hostile to the League of Silence, the CIA, and black-site elements of the National Security Agency.”Names began to populate the screens.Former intelligence analysts who vanished after refusing unlawful orders. Military commanders d

FBI and Hotels

Sam’s tone changed—sharper, urgent. “Master John, alert. That call was being tapped. Initiating trace.”“Do it,” I said immediately. “Fast.” A two-second pause felt like a lifetime. We have a problem, Master John,” Sam reported. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation was actively tapping Jeff Fisherman’s phone line. That tap has now flagged your voiceprint and encryption signature.”Michelle stiffened beside me. “You’re saying they know where we are?”They didn’t,” Sam replied. “They do now.”The screens flared to life. Audio waveforms scrolled across one display as Sam continued.Your name was mentioned on a secondary call immediately after the Fisherman connection ended. I am tapping into that audio now.”Static hissed through the speakers. Then a familiar, controlled male voice came through—calm, bureaucratic, and dangerous. “—confirm Edison is alive,” the voice said. “I don’t care how many black budgets it takes. The moment he surfaced on that call, he became active again. Loop i

Sarah Lee

The submarine kissed the shore with a soft grind of metal against stone. The hatch opened, and cold air rushed in, heavy with salt and earth.Sam’s voice sounded calm, almost reassuring.“Shall I return to depth once you disembark, Master John? I will remain at your banking and infrastructure layer. Call when you need me.”“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Park it somewhere hidden. Deep. I’ll need you again.”“Understood,” Sam replied. “Going dark.”The hatch sealed behind us. Three days underground, three days of recycled air and humming engines—and now solid ground beneath my boots. For a split second, it felt unreal.As we moved inland, Sam’s voice returned in my ear.“I recommend immediate ground transport.”“I need a car,” I said.“Calculating,” Sam answered almost instantly. “Nearest dealership: half a mile. Right side of Main Street. You can reach it in seven minutes on foot.”Michelle and I didn’t waste a second.We jogged down the road, past shuttered shops and early-morning traffic.

Leaving clues

Sam I said can you hack into Jeff fisherman car? Sam didn’t hesitate.“Yes, Master John,” he replied. “I can do that.”The lights in the room dimmed slightly as systems came online. I could hear the faint hum beneath the floor—servers spinning up, data paths opening, invisible doors unlocking across the country.“Step one,” Sam continued calmly, “Jeff Fisherman’s digital footprint is being masked. License-plate readers compromised. Traffic cameras looped. Cellular triangulation spoofed. Vehicles currently following him are now receiving false telemetry.”Michelle stared at the wall, goosebumps rising on her arms. “You’re making him… disappear.”“Correct,” Sam said. “To external observers, Jeff Fisherman will appear to deviate, stall, and then dissolve into non-actionable data.”I nodded. “Good. Now the radio.”“Accessing vehicle infotainment system,” Sam said. “Analog override preferred. Digital channels are too closely monitored.”Three seconds passed.Then—“Connection established,

Made the news

Sam’s voice slipped back into my ear, calm but tight.“Vehicle has arrived in front of the restaurant. Proceed.”We paid the bill and walked out like any other couple finishing dinner—no rush, no panic. Then I saw it.A shiny red Corvette, idling perfectly at the curb, paint catching the streetlights like it was showing off.I slid into the driver’s seat. Michelle settled in beside me. The engine purred to life, smooth and eager.Then Sam’s tone changed.“Master John… we have a problem.”The dashboard screen flickered before I could answer. The entertainment system overrode itself, snapping to a live news broadcast.A polished anchor stared back at us.“This is KVT News,” the broadcaster said. “We have developing reports from the FBI. John Edison is wanted for questioning in connection with multiple homicides that occurred aboard the vessel Angel Bliss. Authorities advise that anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact the FBI or local law enforcement immediately

The death of Alvin

Alvin studied me carefully. “John… just how much do you really know about your father?”I exhaled. “Enough to know he wasn’t the man I thought he was. Secretary of Defense. Intelligence ties. Lies stacked on lies.”Alvin shook his head slowly. “That’s only the surface.”Michelle stiffened beside me.“You don’t know this,” Alvin continued, lowering his voice, “but you have a sister and another brother.”My heart skipped. “What?”“Your sister has already been revealed to the public,” he said. “She’s protected, visible, controlled. But your brother—” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “—your brother is alive, and he was never meant to be known.”He reached into his bag and pulled out a laptop, setting it on the church pew. The screen glow cut through the darkness as his fingers flew across the keyboard.“According to classified resources,” Alvin said, “he’s currently living in New York City. No public records. No digital footprint that isn’t fabricated.”Images and data scrolled pa

Close calls

The moment we pulled back onto the road, my instincts screamed.In the rearview mirror, two black SUVs tore into the diner parking lot we’d just left. Doors flew open. One of the waitresses ran outside, arm extended, pointing straight toward my truck.“Sam,” I said sharply, “that’s them. Get us out of here—now.”“Understood,” Sam replied.The engine roared as Sam pushed the truck to its limits. Buildings and trees blurred into streaks of color. My chest tightened as speed pressed us back into our seats.Then—without warning—Sam slammed the brakes.The truck whipped left, tires screaming, and came to a dead stop.Before I could react, the ground beneath us began to descend.A low mechanical ZZZZZZ vibrated through the chassis. Above us, the asphalt split cleanly apart. A perfectly engineered slab of road slid into place, sealing the opening like nothing had ever been there.We dropped fast.The surface locked shut overhead.Darkness swallowed us—then tunnel lights snapped on one by one

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