Chapter 235: Real clue

"Yes... that's him.” Dan responded as his fingers flew across the keyboard as he searched through contacts.

Suddenly, he stopped. His eyes lit up. “Boss, should I go ahead?”

Alex looked up immediately. "You trust he can do this?"

Dan nodded. “Yes, he is not a greedy type and he won't support Zenith in such a criminal act.

Alex didn't hesitate. “Then get him here. Quickly."

"Right away, sir."

Dan pulled out his phone and dialed. The call connected after two rings.

A cheerful voice answered.

"Well, well... Danny boy." Baddie laughed. "What do I owe this call? Have you finally decided to leave the straight guys' club?"

A few of the men in the room exchanged amused glances. Dan scratched the back of his neck.

"Not yet, sweetheart. I'm still hopelessly straight."

"Oh what a shame, you're missing out baby." Baddie sighed dramatically.

"So... who needs company? You only call me when someone interesting is involved."

Dan glanced at Alex before answering.

"My boss."

The room fell silent, and Alex slowly raised an eyebrow.

On the other end of the line, Baddie was equally stunned.

"...What? Danny boy, you said who?"

"My boss?"

"I thought your boss didn't deal with escorts. What changed?"

Dan forced a casual laugh.

"I guess he's been... lonely lately."

"Oh..." Baddie's teasing tone softened. "I can understand."

He paused before adding sympathetically,

"I heard his sweetheart went straight and married a bitch after his memory was lost. I just hope the pretty boy wasn't forced into that commitment"

Dan's smile faded.

"Yeah, me too. So you coming?”

"Of course, I wouldn't miss this sweet chance.”

Baddie continued gently, "I'll make sure he's not alone anymore ."

He brightened again.

"Where am I meeting this sweet boss of yours?"

"His head office."

Dan opened a message.

"I'm sending you the address now."

That minute, a notification chimed.

"Got it, Danny boy."

"I can send a driver if…"

"No need." Baddie interrupted with a laugh. “Oh you didn't know yet? I walked with four wheels now. One sweetheart that was talking about love stuffs bought me a Range. He is sweet but based on his love history, I can't deal with a husband beater.”

He exhaled.

“Anyways, I know the place. I've eaten at the restaurant downstairs a few times. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Dan finally relaxed. "Perfect, I'll let him know you're on your way."

"Don't worry, Danny boy." Baddie chuckled. "I'll take good care of your sweet boss."

The call ended.

Dan slowly lowered his phone.

The room became painfully quiet.

Alex stared at him without blinking.

For several long seconds… Nobody spoke.

Then Annie burst into laughter.

Jason followed immediately.

Within moments, even Dan couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Come on, boss!" Dan laughed, raising both hands in surrender.

"You're the biggest bait I could think of."

Annie wiped tears from her eyes.

"He came faster the moment he heard it was you."

Jason pointed at Dan. "Brilliant move Dan." He laughed again.

"Relax bro, you're a big fish, he won't waste a second."

Even Alex couldn't help letting out a tired, reluctant smile.

"You people are unbelievable."

Caleb shrugged, “He talks too much, are you sure he can help?”

“Relax, Caleb, the boy sounded sweet. He can help. I can feel it. If it's really Zenith. His end is near.”

That minute, Caleb’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen.

"I have to take this."

He stepped outside the conference room to answer, leaving the others behind.

Before anyone could resume talking, Alex's phone vibrated. The caller ID displayed Warder Sunny

Alex answered immediately.

"Hello Sunny."

The prison officer spoke without preamble.

"Sir Alex, James has a visitor."

Alex straightened. "Who?"

"A fine Lady." Sunny checked his notes. "Larissa Jerkins."

"What?"

Several heads snapped toward Alex as Sunny repeated himself.

"Larissa."

Alex exchanged a stunned look with Thomas.

Sunny continued calmly. "Don't worry, as instructed, we've already activated the audio recording equipment in the visitation room. So, you'll have every word of their conversation."

Relief flickered across Alex's face.

"Thank you, Sunny."

"My pleasure, sir, you will get your boy back."

The call ended.

Silence settled over the room once more. Thomas was the first to speak.

"Larissa? What the heck is going on?"

Jason frowned. "Why would she visit James?"

Annie folded her arms. "I thought she claimed she barely knew him."

Dan slowly looked around the room. "So what exactly could be the.  connection between those two?"

Nobody answered, because at that moment...every theory they had carefully built suddenly felt incomplete.

If Larissa was secretly meeting James in prison, then the kidnapping might be far more complicated than any of them had imagined.

Just then, Alex's phone rang again.

Every conversation in the room stopped instantly. All eyes shifted to him.

The caller ID displayed Thomas's field team.

Alex put it on speaker and  answered without hesitation. "Talk to me."

The man's voice came through, slightly out of breath.

"Sir, we have something bad."

Everyone leaned in.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"We've checked the CCTV cameras around the abandoned warehouse."

Alex's heartbeat quickened. "And what did you get?"

"We found another vehicle."

Thomas immediately moved beside the monitor.

"Can you identify it?"

"Not yet, sir. The license plate was covered, but the vehicle left the warehouse approximately twenty minutes after Lucas was taken there."

"So he was transferred." Alex asked?

The room fell silent.

"Yes, sir."

Alex clenched his fists. "Can you track its direction?"

"Already doing that sir."

A few keyboard clicks echoed over the call. "According to nearby traffic cameras, the SUV headed toward the old industrial district before disappearing."

"Damn it," Jason cursed under his breath.

The man continued. "But that's not all."

Alex frowned. "What else?"

"We recovered something from inside the abandoned building."

"What?"

"A mobile phone."

Everyone exchanged hopeful glances.

"It wasn't Lucas's."

The hope faded.

"But..." The man paused.

"It contained several deleted messages."

Thomas immediately spoke. "Can they be recovered?"

"We've sent it to the Cyber team, so they're working on it now."

Alex took a slow breath. "Good, anything else?"

"Yes, one more thing, sir."

"What?"

The voice became serious. "We found traces suggesting Lucas wasn't kept there for long."

Alex's stomach tightened. "What do you mean?"

"There were signs someone had been sick."

The room instantly remembered the sounds they had heard over the ransom call. When Lucas was retching.

"But there were no ropes, no blood, and no signs of restraint or torture."

Thomas frowned. "So it was only a transfer point."

"Exactly what we think."

Alex closed his eyes. "So we're still behind them."

"I'm afraid so, sir."

The call ended and silence swallowed the room once more.

Every lead they found only confirmed one thing, Lucas was still alive and okay.

But whoever had taken him knew what he was doing.

At where Lucas was held, the room was dim, lit only by a single hanging bulb that swayed slightly whenever the wind rattled the old building. The evening was creeping in slowly.

Lucas had finally stopped throwing up. His stomach still churned, but the dizziness had eased enough for him to think clearly.

His wrists were bound to the arms of a wooden chair, and his ankles were secured to its legs.

Not far away, a handgun rested carelessly on a dusty table.

The masked man paced back and forth, occasionally glancing at him.

Lucas followed every movement without turning his head.

He just stay calm and watched him,

hoping for a mistake. Finally, Lucas broke the silence.

"What exactly was on that handkerchief you pressed over my face?"

The masked man chuckled without looking at him. "Relax, sweetheart."

He waved a dismissive hand. "That didn't make you sick."

He stopped pacing and tilted his head.

"If you were a woman, I'd swear you were pregnant."

“What?”