Chapter 108
"The blockade around the casino remains tight. Our men have attempted to infiltrate several times, but were all turned back. The other side has thermal sensing and motion capture equipment, which is very professional. However, we found a possible weak point: the old ventilation duct system at the rear of the casino, which does not seem to be within their monitoring range, probably because it is too narrow and complex. Blade has already led a team to try to sneak in from there, but no news has come back yet," Lynx reported.
"Take me to the ventilation duct entrance," Elizabeth said decisively.
"Noel, it's too dangerous! We don't know what's inside, and..."
"I have to go," Elizabeth interrupted her, her eyes determined. "Jacob can't die."
Lynx stopped trying to persuade her and told the driver to change direction.
Behind the Golden Pit Casino was an old residential area scheduled for demolition, messy and dimly lit.
Behind a low wall covered in moss, Elizabeth found the rusty ventilation opening.
Nightfall member Blade was stationed there with his people.
"Noel," Blade was a lean, capable man skilled in stealth and assassination. "The inside of the duct is complicated with many branches, and some parts are extremely narrow - you can only crawl through. We've already sent two guys in to scout, but no response yet."
"I'll go in." Elizabeth checked her gear: a dagger, a compact pistol, and several miniature lighting and communication devices.
"I'll go with you," Lynx said immediately.
"No, you stay outside for backup and keep communications open. If I'm not out in an hour, or if you hear gunshots, immediately proceed with the backup plan. Don't worry about me." Elizabeth's tone left no room for argument.
Lynx bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, be careful."
Without another word, Elizabeth bent down and crawled into the dark, narrow ventilation duct that reeked of rust and dust.
Inside the duct, it was eerily quiet, with only the sound of her own breathing and clothes scraping against metal.
Following the rough map Blade had given her, she crawled with difficulty through the cramped space toward the casino's core area.
After what felt like forever, faint light and voices seemed to come from ahead. And a slight smell of blood?
Elizabeth's spirits lifted. She lightened her movements and carefully approached a ventilation grate. Through the gaps, she could see what looked like a storage room filled with miscellaneous items below. The light was dim, but she could vaguely make out drag marks of blood on the floor, and a figure seemed to be curled up motionless in the corner.
Her heart jumped. Was it Jacob?
Just as she was trying to get a better look, an extremely dangerous feeling struck from behind!
Someone was there!
In the duct behind her!
She instinctively tried to turn and fight back, but the duct was too narrow to move properly!
The next instant, a hot and heavy male body pressed hard against her from behind, bringing a familiar yet strange scent!
A strong, powerful arm locked around her waist like an iron band, while another hand covered her mouth, holding her firmly in his embrace!
Elizabeth's pupils contracted sharply as she struggled violently, but his strength was astonishing, pinning her hard against the cold duct wall.
Then burning, dominating kisses, with an almost crazy possessiveness, fell without warning on the back of her neck, then moved up along her neckline, landing heavily on her cheek, her ear, and finally forcibly turning her face to cover her lips!
Like a violent storm, with punishing force and a kind of frantic relief at finding something lost.
Elizabeth was shocked and angry, struggling to turn her head away, but in the dim light, she met a pair of eyes deep as a cold pool, now burning with terrifying flames.
Jacob!
It was him!
He was fine?!
Not only fine, but completely unharmed!
Except for some dust and what looked like bloodstains on his clothes, his breathing was steady and strong, his eyes sharp as usual, even more so, with an unsettling ruthlessness and some dark emotion she couldn't read, churning beneath the surface.
"You..." Elizabeth was almost suffocated by his kiss. She finally managed to break free a little, glaring at him with unsteady breath. "Jacob! Are you crazy?! Let me go!"
Not only did Jacob not let go, he held her even tighter, his hot breath on her ear, his voice hoarse and low, carrying a dangerous edge of emotions suppressed to the extreme, then exploding, "Elizabeth, what are you doing here? Who told you to come?"
His question had no answer, because he didn't seem to need one.
His gaze greedily swept over her face, dusty but still beautiful, as if to carve her into his bones.
Then, without waiting for her answer, he kissed her fiercely again, more violently than before, more irresistibly, as if through this he could confirm her existence and vent some emotion on the verge of losing control.
Elizabeth was kissed until her head spun, her body trembling slightly from the confined space and being pressed too close.
She could feel his violently beating heart, smell the strong masculine scent on him mixed with a faint trace of blood, and sense his almost obsessive possessiveness at this moment.
Wasn't he supposed to be missing from the casino, in danger?
How could he be in the ventilation duct? And...
In the blink of an eye, a thought struck her—could this be a play directed and performed by Jacob himself?
Using his own disappearance as bait to draw out those troublemakers within the Smith Family and external enemies who might take advantage of the chaos, then catch them all at once?
If so, everything made sense.
He deliberately went silent, let Richard and the others jump out to seize power, while he hid in the shadows observing, possibly already gathering enough evidence against them.
And her reckless infiltration here to find him clearly caught him completely off guard, disrupting his originally calm plan and triggering some strong emotional response in him.
That's why he was so out of control, so crazy.
Understanding this, Elizabeth's shock and anger gradually gave way to complicated feelings.
She stopped struggling and let him kiss her domineeringly and chaotically, until her compliance made him gradually slow down, his breathing calming, though his arms still held her tight, unwilling to let go.
"You did this on purpose?" Elizabeth's voice was somewhat hoarse, especially clear in the silent duct.
Jacob's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. He slowly raised his head, and in the darkness, his eyes locked onto her like a lurking predator.
"You figured it out?" His voice returned to its usual coldness, but if you listened carefully, you could still hear a trace of lingering hoarseness.
"Guessed a little bit." Elizabeth looked at him calmly, "Richard, Dave, and the others—they must be very proud of themselves right now, aren't they?"
Jacob's lips curved into a cold, cruel arc. "That's their last supper. They think their chance has come, but they don't know they're digging their own graves."
Just as she thought.
Elizabeth was silent for a moment, then asked, "The people surrounding the casino outside..."
"Some are arranged by me, to create confusion. The others really want me dead." Jacob's eyes were sinister. "Perfect - I'll clean them all up at once."
He paused, his gaze falling on Elizabeth's face again, the deliberately maintained coldness seeming to crack a little. "Why did you come? Don't you know how dangerous this is?"