Chapter 63

Hunter's expression remained impassive. "You're already in the car. Don't be difficult."

"You arrogant..." I took a deep breath, trying to regain composure. "Stay away from me from now on. I don't want to see you again!"

Hunter didn't respond, merely closing his eyes and leaning back as if preparing to nap.

The car drove for over an hour, leaving the city behind for increasingly desolate surroundings. When we finally stopped, I found myself staring at an abandoned factory with rusted metal frames and shattered windows.

"Why have you brought me here?" I asked, the isolated location triggering my professional paranoia.

Hunter offered no answer, simply exiting the car and waiting for me to follow. Frank opened my door, and I cautiously stepped out, surveying my surroundings with practiced vigilance.

We entered the main building, our footsteps echoing against the concrete floor. In the center of the vast space, a man lay bound on the floor, surrounded by four men in impeccable black suits. I immediately recognized him as the truck driver who had tried to run me off the road.

"What is this?" I asked, though the scene before me provided its own answer.

"You wanted to know who's trying to kill you," Hunter replied simply.

I approached the bound driver, who glared at me with unconcealed hatred.

"Who hired you to hit my car?" I asked directly.

The driver sneered. "I didn't hit you. Your car wasn't even damaged. Why am I tied up? Besides, insurance will cover the damages."

"You'd better let me go right now," he continued, his voice rising with each word. "Or I'll press charges against all of you!"

I crouched down to his eye level. "My, aren't we brave," I said with a glacial smile. "Do you think we're law-abiding citizens who wouldn't dare harm you?"

The driver spat near my feet. "Go ahead and kill me if you've got the guts. As long as I'm breathing, I'll make sure you all pay for this!"

I slowly rose to my feet, picking up a metal pipe from the debris-strewn floor. I handed it to one of the guards. "We don't need to kill him," I said with chilling clarity. "But making him permanently disabled seems fair. Consider it justice for the driver who's now critically injured in the hospital."

I turned away, unwilling to witness what would happen next. From behind me came the sounds of struggle followed by screams of pain.

Hunter stood a few feet away, lighting a cigarette. He took a deep drag, his gaze briefly scanning the scene before looking away, his expression unchanged.

After several minutes of the driver's screams, one of the men called out, "He's ready to talk."

I turned back around. The driver was gasping, his face contorted with pain. "I'll tell you everything," he wheezed. "Just stop."

"Who sent you?" Hunter asked, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere.

"A woman," the driver admitted. "She wore a mask, but she offered me a million dollars to kill Attorney James. She told me to make it look like a brake failure accident."

This was progress, but not enough. I needed to confirm my suspicions. I pulled out my phone and dialed Mary's number, putting it on speaker.

"Mary? How have you been recently?" I asked, keeping my tone light and friendly.

"Jane?" Mary's voice came through the speaker, sounding surprised. "I'm fine, just busy with some charity work. Why are you calling?"

I glanced at the driver. "Is this the voice?" I silently mouthed.

His eyes widened in recognition, and he nodded emphatically.

I quickly ended the call, a cold sensation spreading through my chest. So it was true. Mary, my cousin who always appeared so gentle and refined, had tried to have me killed. I had even felt sorry for her before, thinking she was merely a pawn in this game.

"Did she pay you in advance?" Hunter asked the driver, his voice clinically detached.

"Half up front," the driver answered. "Fifty thousand in cash."

"Did you record your conversation with her?" Hunter continued.

"No," the driver shook his head, then desperately added, "Please, I've told you everything I know. Let me go."

I stood there, processing this new information. Mary was far more dangerous than I'd realized. Though I didn't have enough evidence to send her to prison, I needed to warn her that I knew what she'd done, to prevent further attempts on my life.

"We'll take him to Robert's house," I decided. "Let Mary see that her hired assassin has been caught."

Hunter's POV

I deliberately kept my expression blank as we drove away from the abandoned factory, watching Jane's expression from the corner of my eye. She sat stiffly against the car door, as far from me as possible, her shoulders rigid with tension.

"The bomb in your apartment," I finally said, breaking the silence, "was probably hired by Mary as well."

Jane's eyes widened slightly, the only indication that my words had affected her. "It probably was," she agreed.

She looked away first, staring out the window at the city lights passing by. Even after everything she'd been through tonight, she still maintained that composed exterior that both fascinated and frustrated me.

"What would you like for dinner?" I asked suddenly.

She turned to me, clearly caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic. "What?"

"Dinner," I repeated. "It's late, and you need to eat."

Her brow furrowed slightly. "That won't be necessary. Just drop me off downtown."

I studied her for a moment, noting the defensive posture of her shoulders. She was wary of me, of my intentions. Fair enough. Since the explosion at her apartment, I'd been sending mixed signals. Helping her one moment, pushing her away the next. But I had my reasons.

"Did you know Sean came to see me this afternoon?" I asked casually.

That got her attention. Her head turned sharply toward me, though she tried to mask her interest. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to hire me to handle a construction dispute," I said, carefully observing her reaction. "Workers fighting at one of his development sites, causing structural damage and injuries. Now they're demanding excessive compensation."

Jane's expression remained guarded, but I could see her calculating mind working behind those eyes. "Did you accept?"