Chapter 30 UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
She was quiet, lost in her own thoughts as I drove her to the airport, but I could clearly see the emotions carved on her face. Her eyes were distant, like they were silently begging to be saved.
"Are you okay?" I decided to ask after she sighed for what felt like the tenth time in less than a minute.
"How am I supposed to be okay when your boss has decided to be a thorn in my flesh?" she replied, her voice dripping with clear annoyance and anger.
"Right," I said, deciding to let her be.
"Who were those guys that were after me?" she asked, her gaze still fixed outside the window.
"They are known as the Shadows, and the last thing you want is to get in their way-especially for someone like you," I said, taking my gaze off her and fixing it back on the road.
"What do you mean for someone like me?" she asked, and as I glanced her way, I caught her looking at me with a fierce intensity in her eyes.
"I mean you're a cop, and those guys will do anything to keep their image clean. That's why Mr. Lennox was willing to help you," I clarified, hoping to stop her from glaring at me like she wanted to burn holes through me.
"But may I ask-why were you at that building? That party was supposed to be private, and seriously, I just can't imagine how you managed to get yourself tangled with those ladies, let alone dressing like a service girl," I asked, instantly regretting the question the moment it left my mouth.
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Nancy's POV
Service girl? He has got to be kidding me. Do these people even have a conscience at all?
"Is that how low you guys regard them? I mean, have you even taken a look at those girls? They're all still young adults, probably trying to figure out their lives, and you guys are forcefully having them do things like what I saw at the party-just to clear their bills.
I am so fucking having your hotel and those guys sued for sex trafficking, and you'd better keep those girls safe, or it's not going to be funny," I raged, my words sharp and laced with fury.
I couldn't believe I almost forgot about the girls. The thought also had me wondering how Mia was coping. The car coming to a stop had me looking at the guy who had done nothing but irritate me the most tonight.
"That is a terrible idea. Look, Miss Carter, I get that you're angry-I mean, anyone would be-but you do not want to sue anyone, especially the Shadows. They're not people you can mess with.
The best idea is to lay low. I'm sure by now they've discovered you were an intruder and are probably on the lookout for you. This is not a request, Miss Carter-it's a warning.
You don't know the danger you've already involved yourself in, and if you're not careful, you might as well be putting your family in grave danger," he said, his voice firm and deadly serious.
I could tell he wasn't joking, but I just couldn't help it.
"If they're this bad, why were you guys in their midst like you were one of their own? Why?" I asked, unable to hide the painful twist in my chest.
"Because there was nothing we could do. You have no idea what Mr. Lennox risked to get you out of there. If you think we're in on this, then don't you think we wouldn't be helping you at all?
Letting you go means you could easily run to the police about us, so maybe by now you'd already be dead-or worse."
Somewhere deep inside me, I knew he was right, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't wrap my head around any of this.
It suddenly felt like breathing was hard, my chest tightening with frustration. I decided to get out of the car since he had already pulled to a stop and driven me far away from danger.
"Where are you going? We still have a few miles to cover before we get to the airport," he said as I stepped out.
"You might want to go back to your boss," I said sharply, watching as his face twisted in confusion.
"But I still have to get you to the airport. That was the instruction."
"I can find my way. Just get back to him, would you? He looked like he was about to pass out the last time I saw him before I left."
Telling him this seemed to spark something in him. I took my backpack from the back seat before he could take off.
I stood still, watching as the car disappeared into the distance, the sound of the engine fading into silence. Pulling my phone from my bag, I booked a ride, deciding to head to the nearest restaurant to grab something to eat. I was starving, and with two hours before my flight, food was the only thing I could think of.
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Jaxon's POV
The dizziness persisted, a relentless wave that made every breath feel heavier. All I wanted was to pass out, and stupidly, I had left my medication back at the hotel. The only option was to lie back, close my eyes, and wait for the trembling in my head and the spinning in my vision to fade.
It was going well enough-until my phone rang. The sound pounded against my skull like a drum, each vibration rattling in my ears. One glance at the caller ID, and my gut tightened. The last person I wanted to speak to.
But I couldn't ignore him. I never could.
The moment I picked up, I was greeted with his angry voice, loud enough to split my head open.
"What the hell did you do, Jaxon!? Is it true?" he barked. I winced, pulling the phone away from my ear before setting it on speaker and dropping it on the bed.
"You need to be more specific about what you're referring to," I said flatly, my tone deliberately bored.
"Did you really help a supposed intruder escape?" he demanded.
"I don't understand what you're talking about," I replied smoothly. "I simply spent time with a girl who caught my interest and took her up to my room. I don't see how that counts as helping an intruder escape. Besides, the hotel was crawling with security-how could an intruder make it into the hotel and into the VVIP section?"
My words dripped with sarcasm, every syllable intentionally meant to push his buttons.
"Well, it better not be true because... or you know exactly what's gonna happen. Now get your ass back to the party and make sure I don't lose a single dime of my money," he barked before ending the call abruptly.
I exhaled sharply, the sound halfway between frustration and exhaustion, before dragging myself off the bed. My body still felt heavy, but I pushed forward, heading toward the sitting room.
That's when I spotted it-my suit jacket-carelessly lying on the floor right where Miss Carter had left it.
Bending down, I picked it up, swinging it over my shoulder before slipping my arms into it. The familiar weight of the fabric settled over me, but as I turned to leave, something else caught my attention.
A small, slightly crumpled photograph lay on the floor, half-hidden beneath the corner of the couch.
I bent down again, picking it up-and froze.
My pulse quickened instantly. My eyes locked on the face staring back at me from the worn picture, a face I knew far too well.
Ravyn Vale.
The man I had been searching for endlessly. The man connected to the incident that took Emmy's life. The man who ruined my life and helds the answer to all my questions.
But what in the hell was his photograph doing here?
I was certain-absolutely certain-Miss Carter had dropped this. Which only led to more questions I couldn't ignore.
Why did she have this picture? Did she come here looking for him? And if so... why?
Who told her she could find him here?
The questions spun relentlessly through my mind, each one sharper than the last, and yet there was no one here to give me the answers I needed.