Chapter 131
Juliana and Lucas locked eyes, both seeing the same realization reflected back.
Logan had kidnapped the VP to interrogate him about what happened all those years ago. Now he'd probably gotten what he wanted, so he needed to silence the witness—and take them out too while he was at it. Kill two birds with one stone.
"Where are those two hitmen?"
"I had them locked up." Lucas was already pulling out his phone.
He dialed.
"Bring them to my room. Now. Immediately."
After hanging up, he looked at Juliana. "Don't worry. We're not too late."
Less than five minutes later, the two assassins from last night were dragged in by Lucas's people and dumped on the carpet.
Both were injured and looked haggard. When they saw Lucas, their eyes filled with terror.
"Who hired you?" Lucas didn't waste time. Straight to the point.
"We don't know... The job came through online, payment was in crypto..."
Lucas had no patience for this. He walked over to one of them and looked down.
"Your first job—the guy you kidnapped. Where is he now?"
The man's lips trembled. He didn't dare speak.
Lucas lifted his foot and pressed it precisely onto the man's fractured wrist.
"Ahhh—!" The scream echoed through the entire suite.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The other assassin was scared out of his mind and spilled everything. "There's a private airfield on the outskirts! Tonight... there's a ten o'clock flight taking him out! Shipping him to a black-market mine in Africa!"
Juliana immediately looked at the wall clock.
The hour hand pointed to nine forty-five.
……
Nine forty-five.
Lucas didn't even glance at the two men crumpled on the floor. He grabbed his suit jacket from the couch, pulling it on as he told Juliana, "Let's go."
Juliana only had time to grab her phone and keycard before he caught her wrist and pulled her out of the room at a brisk pace.
In the hallway, those European men who'd handled the cleanup earlier hadn't left yet. Seeing Lucas emerge, they immediately bowed.
"Get a car ready. West suburb private airfield." Lucas's orders were brief and cold. "Have our people clear the area. I don't want any bystanders."
"Yes, sir."
The elevator plummeted downward, numbers flashing.
Juliana stared at their reflections on the metal doors—hers and Lucas's shadows side by side.
Forty-five minutes.
They only had forty-five minutes.
A car was already waiting at the hotel entrance, engine growling.
The moment they got in, the driver floored it.
Juliana's mind was sharper than it had ever been.
Logan.
Logan again.
From impersonating someone seven years ago to the ruthless hunt now—this man was like a disease, a ghost that wouldn't leave them alone.
Juliana clenched her fists, nails digging deep into her palms.
……
West suburb airfield.
A few small private planes sat isolated on the tarmac.
The car had barely stopped when Lucas's people surrounded them. The lead man gave a quick report. "Boss, target plane is that G550. They're about to do final pre-flight checks. Our people have control of the tower and ground crew."
Lucas got out of the car, night wind catching his coat. "Where's the target?"
"Still in the cabin."
Lucas jerked his chin. A group of men in black immediately moved silently toward the plane.
No gunshots. No shouting.
Just a few muffled thuds of bodies hitting the ground and the scrape of shoes being dragged across pavement.
It was over quickly.
Lucas took Juliana's hand and walked up the plane's stairs.
The two men responsible for the transport had already been subdued, dumped on the floor like dead fish.
In the corner of the cabin, a man was tied to a chair. His hair was gray—it was the VP from the photo.
Juliana rushed over and yanked the gag from his mouth.
The man breathed heavily. Seeing them, his clouded eyes showed fear first, then enormous confusion.
"Don't be afraid. We're here to rescue you." Juliana kept her voice as steady as possible.
Lucas's people untied him. The man tried to move his numb limbs and struggled to stand, his legs nearly giving out.
Juliana steadied him.
"Thank you... thank you..." The man was still shaken.
Lucas ignored his thanks, his gaze heavy. "Why did Logan kidnap you?"
At the name "Logan," the man's body visibly stiffened, all color draining from his face.
"He... he asked me about what happened back then... about Professor Wells and his wife..."
Juliana's heart jumped to her throat.
"What did he ask?"
"He asked if Professor Wells had met anyone unusual before the accident, or if he'd handled any special assets." The man licked his cracked lips, his eyes evasive. "I said I didn't know, so he... he beat me..."
The marks on his body confirmed his story.
"Do you really know nothing?" Juliana stared into his eyes, not missing any shift in emotion.
The man fell silent.
"I... I can't say." His voice was low. "I can only tell someone from the Wells family."
Juliana's pulse quickened. "I'm Juliana Wells. The only surviving member of the Wells family."
The man froze. After Juliana proved her identity, his voice came out rough. "I... I actually did see someone."
"Who?"
"Logan Sharp." The man spoke with absolute clarity. "Three days before Professor Wells and his wife's car accident, Logan came to the company. He and Professor Wells had a long private meeting in the office. When I went in to deliver documents, they both looked upset, like they'd been arguing about something."
Juliana's fingertips went numb. Her blood felt like it stopped flowing in that instant.
Logan.
He'd met with her parents before they died.
"Want to know what happened?"
A cocky voice suddenly came from the cabin entrance.
Everyone whipped around.
Logan stood there in a flashy white suit, wearing that familiar, repulsive smile. He hadn't brought anyone with him—just sauntered in alone, bold as brass.
Acting like he didn't see the menacing bodyguards in black surrounding him, his gaze went straight to Juliana.
"Since you want to know so badly, why not just ask me directly, Julie?"
That "Julie" came out light and sleazy.
The thread of rationality in Juliana's mind snapped with an audible break.
She lunged at him, hands wrapping around Logan's throat, slamming him hard against the cabin wall.
"Did you have something to do with my parents' deaths?!"