Chapter 318
Hunger won out over fear.
Tommy clutched a sad little convenience store bag as he crept back
the villa, three days of stubble darkening his hollow cheeks,
His stomach cramped painfully, reminding him why he’d risked leavist his hideout in the first place.
He paused at the walkway, eyes scanning the overgrown lawn. Nothing moved. The villa sat quiet against the darkening sky, just as he’d left it.
Relief loosened his shoulders. He quickened his pace.
The attack came from nowhere.
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Hands grabbed him from behind. Tommy’s world spun as he thrashed wildly, his pathetic dinner scattering across the concrete. He broke free for half a kecond–just long enough to realize he was completely screwed.
“Got him,” a voice announced, flat as a dead man’s EKG.
Tommy’s phone skidded across the pavement, screen lighting up with Kelly and Emma’s faces. His little girl’s gap–toothed birthday smile. His wife’s arm around her shoulders. The family he’d never see again.
A wheelchair emerged from the shadows, nearly silent on the smooth pavement. Adam rolled forward, those ice–blue eyes taking in everything–Tommy pinned to the ground, the spilled food, the desperate way Tommy stared at his phone.
Tommy went limp the moment he saw Adam. Game over.
“Take him,” Adam said, voice soft but unmistakable.
As they dragged Tommy to the waiting car, Adam reached down and picked up the fallen phone. He studied the woman and child on the screen, his thumb hovering over their smiling faces.
Something flickered in his eyes–not quite sympathy, but a recognition. A weapon had just fallen into his hands.
Across town, the warehouse air hung thick with tension. The zip ties bit into Tommy’s wrists as he sat alone under the harsh spotlight. Everything beyond that circle of light was shadow and silence, broken only by the soft whir of approaching wheels.
Adam rolled into view, Thomas standing at his shoulder.
“Let’s skip the bullshit,” Adam said. “Who sent you after Irene?”
Tommy lifted his head, defiance masking his terror. “Nobody. My own call.”
“Jesus, we don’t have time for this,” Thomas snapped. “We know you worked Wright security.”
Tommy barked out a laugh. “Got it all figured out, huh?” His eyes locked onto Adam. “Maybe I just didn’t like your doctor girlfriend.“
Adam moved closer, his voice dropping. “Wright family. Yes or no?”
“Haven’t you heard? Tommy’s smile was all teeth and no humor. “I’m just a thug with a grudge.”
“One million dollars,” Adam said, the offer landing between them like a grenade. “Safe passage for you and your family.” He paused.
“All I need is the truth.”
Tommy’s fingers curled into fists. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. For a moment, his mask slipped–just enough to see the
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Chapter 318
terrified husband and father beneath.
Then something hardened in his eyes.
Do your worst,” he said, voice steadier than his racing heart. I’ve got nothing to say.”
Thomas stepped forward, jaw tight, but Adam raised his hand. The ovement was small but final.
Outside in the night air, the distant hum of the city continued, oblivious to the drama unfolding in the abandoned warehouse district. Adam’s voice cut through the darkness. “Find his family. Now”
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