apter 267
Ashton carried Briar all the way back to the villa and up to the second–floor bedroom. “Babe, let me put you on the bed to rest for a while, okay?”
Briar was in a terrible state. She had been silent the entire journey, not dazed or crying, but cold and distant.
Ashton was not mistaken.
Briar’s expression was cold, emotionless, and quiet.
This was not normal.
Seeing Briar like this, Ashton felt his heart clench painfully.
Briar nodded, obediently released her arms from around Ashton’s neck, took off her shoes and clothes, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over herself.
Ashton frowned, feeling that Briar was a stranger at that moment.
She said, “Honey, I want to be alone.”
Ashton knew it was not a good idea to leave her alone at a time like this.
But seeing the determined look in Briar’s eyes, Ashton still nodded. “Alright, I’ll talk to the two uncles first.”
Ashton leaned over to tuck Briar in and coaxed her softly, “Promise me, whatever it is, you’ll wait until I get back to talk about it, okay?”
Briar lowered her gaze. “Okay.”
Ashton then got up. Before closing the door, he watched Briar for a long moment, still worried.
However, Briar just lay there quietly, her eyes dim and emotionless.
Ashton sighed silently and closed the door.
What Ashton didn’t know was that the moment he closed the bedroom door, a murderous glint flashed in Briar’s dull eyes as she lay on the bed.
Briar pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed a number. “Memphis, did you find the exact location for the coordinates lan sent you?”
Memphis’s voice was cautious on the other end of the line. “I found it. It’s in a remote mountain hollow in Shoneport, Dasmieca. And their security guards are all …”
“Send me the location.” Briar cut him off before he could finish.
Memphis stammered, “Y… Yes.”
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Immediately, the clatter of a keyboard came through the phone, followed by a notification alert on Briar’s phone.
Briar picked up her phone and glanced at the message. “Alright. Remember to erase the call history and all communication traces.”
Memphis asked worriedly, “Um, Briar, are you going alone? They have dozens of assassins there, and it’s too dangerous. How about I contact Louie and Kameron for you?”
“Don’t tell anyone my whereabouts, got it?” Briar was already on her feet, getting dressed.
“Okay,” Memphis said reluctantly. “Then you have to be safe!”
Briar scoffed, “I know. Don’t worry. These people can’t afford to kill me.”
A pack of brutes who wouldn’t even spare a dead person’s blood would surely never kill her, the second- generation medicinal catalyst.
It was only today that she finally understood why those people had spent years sending different assassins after her, yet could never kill her.
In the past, Briar always thought that her uncanny ability to learn quickly was what allowed her to escape one crisis after another.
But it was all just her naivety and foolishness.
It was not that those people could not kill her, but that they were unwilling to. Her blood might be the key ingredient for their future experimental drugs.
Briar pressed a raised spot on the wardrobe’s latch, and a moment later, several hidden compartments popped out of the unremarkable mahogany wardrobe.
Various handguns and bombs were neatly arranged in the hidden compartments.
Even the latest gourd–shaped bombs on the market were stored inside.
Briar carefully selected a few handguns, packed all the bombs, and after a moment of thought, stuffed a bulletproof vest into her bag.
The zipper was pulled shut with a sharp zip.
It was also the moment Briar’s killing intent reached its peak.
*****
Meanwhile, after leaving the villa, Ashton returned to the Grant family, Ruben and Larry approached him,
concerned about Briar.
The unease in his chest grew stronger.
He said, “Briar is home alone, and I’m worried. Let’s go back to her villa to talk.”
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Ruben and Larry hesitated for just a second before nodding. “Alright, let’s go. We won’t go inside; we’ll just talk in the yard. If Briar feels uncomfortable seeing us, we’ll leave immediately.”
Remembering Briar’s listless, helpless, and pitiful state earlier, Ruben and Larry felt terrible.
Zeke was gone, so some things couldn’t be verified. But if the truth was what Freddie confessed, they wouldn’t be able to face Briar.
The three of them hurried to Briar’s villa. Ashton looked up at the second–floor bedroom with its tightly drawn curtains, still feeling uneasy. “I’ll go check on Briar first.”
Of course, Ruben and Larry had no objections.
If they weren’t afraid of upsetting Briar, they would have wanted to go up and check on her too.
Ashton walked quickly to the bedroom door and quietly opened it. In the dim light of the wall lamp, he saw a human–shaped lump under the covers, and his tense heart began to relax.
But the next second, his expression changed. He threw the door open, rushed to the bedside in a few strides, and ripped off the covers…
There was no trace of Briar; the lump under the blanket was just a pile of pillows.
Ashton gritted his teeth and sighed inwardly. “My dear, couldn’t you have waited for me? You want revenge; did you really think I would stop you?”
He walked to the window, opened it, and shouted to Ruben and Larry in the courtyard, “Briar snuck off on her own!”
“What?!” Alarmed, Ruben and Larry rushed upstairs. “That child! How could she run off again without a word?”
As if he had remembered something, Larry walked to the mahogany wardrobe against the wall. He fumbled around on it for a long time before finally finding the button for a hidden compartment.
He pressed the button, and several hidden compartments popped out of the wardrobe. Half of the firearms and ammunition inside were gone, especially the compartments for bullets and bombs, which were completely empty…
Ashton’s eyes widened. He immediately took out his phone and called Xavion. “Xavion, starting now, closely monitor all air routes into Dasmieca, including commercial and private flights.”
Xavion was startled by the fury in Ashton’s voice, sensing that something was wrong. He asked, “Ashton, what happened?”
He said, “My wife has secretly returned to Dasmieca alone, armed with heavy weapons.”
Ashton’s chest tightened. “She hauled away more than half of the weapons she kept at her villa. We must find her. We absolutely cannot let anything happen to her.”
Xavion was stunned. “Yes, understood.”
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After hanging up, Ashton turned to Ruben and Larry. “Ruben, Larry, this is an emergency. We have to split up. You two figure out how to retrieve Zeke’s safe deposit box from Shrewy Bank. I’m going after Briar now.”
Ruben and Larry immediately nodded. “Okay.”
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Chapter 268
Chapter 268
