Chapter 248: Derby's mistake

Alex entered the room last. He looked around at everyone gathered.

"No improvising. If she leads us somewhere else, we follow.

Thomas smiled.

"Tonight, Hunter has turned prey."

Some people chortled, and the room fell silent again.

Outside, music drifted through the bar as unsuspecting customers laughed and enjoyed their evening.

None of them realized that beneath the ordinary atmosphere a carefully laid trap was waiting.

All that remained was for Larissa to walk into it.

The neon lights of Ladies Bar glowed against the dark evening sky as Larissa's sleek black sedan rolled into the parking lot.

She switched off the engine but didn't move immediately. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

"Zee..." She whispered the name to herself. "If you're the one with my phone, then tonight, I'm getting it back."

She stepped out of the car, slammed the door shut, and strode confidently toward the entrance.

Music spilled onto the street the moment she pushed the door open.

The bar was alive with laughter, and clinking of glasses. Music kept pulsing through hidden speakers.

Larissa ignored it all. Her sharp eyes swept across the room before she headed straight for the counter, and slid onto an empty stool.

The bartender smiled politely. "What can I get you?"

"Nothing yet." Larissa replied without taking her eyes off the crowd.

"I'm looking for someone."

Before the bartender could respond, a young woman approached with a playful smile. She leaned casually against the counter.

"Hey, sweety." Her voice was smooth. "Want some company?"

Larissa barely glanced at her.

"No."

The woman shrugged. "No worries." She turned to leave.

"Hey." Larissa's voice stopped her.

The woman looked back. "Yeah, changed your mind?”

Larissa smiled and leaned forward slightly. “No, but I'm looking for someone. Do you know a guy called Zee?"

The woman's face immediately brightened. "If you mean Hottie Zee,  yeah. I know him."

Larissa's pulse quickened.

"Where is he?"

The woman shook her head. "Haven't seen him in a days." She pointed toward the bartender.

"But, the bartender knows almost everybody around here."

She gave Larissa a playful wink.

"Good luck."

Then she disappeared back into the crowd.

Larissa slowly turned toward the bartender. Before she could speak, her phone vibrated loudly inside her handbag.

She frowned.

"Seriously?" She muttered under her breath.

"Who could be calling now?" With an irritated sigh, she opened her bag and pulled out the phone. The screen lit up with Derby’s call.

Larissa rolled her eyes.

"What now?" She answered without enthusiasm.

Derby's furious voice exploded through the speaker instantly.

"I've been calling you all day! Where the fuck have you been?"

Larissa instinctively pulled the phone slightly away from her ear.

Derby shouted. "You didn't even bother to return the call!"

Several people at the nearby tables glanced toward Larissa.

She lowered her voice immediately.

"Would you keep your voice down?

I'm in public."

"I don't care!" Derby snapped.

"Where the fuck are you right now?"

Larissa frowned. "Why? What happened?"

The urgency in Derby's voice was unlike anything she'd heard before.

A small knot of unease tightened in Larissa's chest.

"What is the problem, girl?"

Her voice softened with concern.

"You're scaring me with that tone."

A brief silence followed. Then Derby spoke. "Aunt Larissa, where are you?"

Larissa glanced around. "I'm at Ladies Bar." She answered casually. "Why?"

Derby asked quietly, "Are you looking for Hunter phone?"

Larissa's eyebrows shot up. "Yes. How did you know that?"

Derby inhaled sharply. "Then listen to me very carefully."

Her voice was no longer angry.

It was desperate. "If you don't want to end up in prison, forget about that phone."

Larissa scoffed. "What?"

"I said, forget about the fucking phone and forget about being Hunter ever again. Forget about your obsession with Alex, and move on with your life."

Larissa laughed bitterly. "Oh, no, girl, what the fuck has come over you?" She leaned back against the bar stool. “Why do you sound…?

“Just do what I'm telling you.”

"No, I'm getting my phone back."

Her eyes darkened. "And when I do, I'm going to make Alex's perfect little life miserable."

She clenched her jaw. "He doesn't deserve a happy ending."

On the other end, Derby let out a frustrated groan.

"Damn it, you're not listening? You may think you're being stubborn? Or you think you're being smart?"

Derby breathed.

“Listen to me aunt Larissa, right now, you're being incredibly stupid."

Larissa became shocked, then her anger flared.

"What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me." Derby's voice cracked with emotion.

"I won't come and visit you in prison if you ignore me and land yourself there.”

Those last words finally caught Larissa's attention.

"What? Prison? What do you mean prison?"

"If you touch that Hunter’s phone, you're roasted and there will be no way out. Have you forgotten that James used that phone to kidnap Lucas. Then Zee too used it. If you go as far as touched that phone, you're equally an accomplice to the kidnapping"

Larissa sat upright.

"What are you talking about? Did anyone say anything about this?"

"It doesn't matter, quit being stubborn and go home. I mean exactly what I said."

Derby spoke each word slowly.

"The police already know."

Larissa's heartbeat skipped.

"What?"

"They know Hunter exists. They know about the phone. They know more than you think. If that phone ends up in your hands, they'll be watching, and you will certainly get arrested."

A gripping silence followed.

For the first time that night, Larissa's confidence wavered.

"How..." She whispered. “How do you get to know all these?"

Derby closed her eyes. "It doesn't matter. The point is I know enough to tell you this. Telling you this is betrayal to someone but I can't help it.”

“So walk away, right now, forget the phone and forget Alex, please."

Larissa's expression hardened again.

"You've lost your nerve? Have you forgotten what he did to your Mom?"

"No. I haven't but I've come to my senses." Derby's reply was immediate. "Revenge isn't bringing my mother back, and you and I know it."

Larissa said nothing.

Derby took one last shaky breath.

"Good luck, Aunt, because you're going to need it."

The line went dead.

Larissa slowly lowered the phone from her ear. She stared at the blank screen. Her mind raced.

How does Derby know about the phone? How much does she know?

Does it mean Alex has found out about her connection to the phone?

A more unsettling thought crept into her mind. Is Derby warning me that the police are already here?

For the first time since walking into the bar, Larissa looked around carefully. The laughter, the bartender, the customers scattered around the room.

A couple sat at the far table. A man quietly nursing a drink in the corner. Two women chatting near the entrance. They had all seemed ordinary before, but as she looked now…Every face looked suspicious.

Every glance felt deliberate. Every stranger could be watching her.

Larissa tightened her grip on the phone as her pulse quickened.

"Damn it..." She muttered under her breath.

"Have I already walked into a trap?"