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Shortly after the car left, several military vehicles arrived at the entrance of the scrap yard. The men who got off were all strong and well–built, each carrying a gun in hand.
They looked menacing and up to no good.
The black–clad bodyguards inside the factory immediately raised their guns. The leader stepped forward and shouted a warning, “Who are you? This area is now under Mr. Wade’s control. Unauthorized personnel, leave at once.”
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The mercenaries exchanged glances, surprise and tension flashing in their eyes. ‘Mr. Wade’s territory?‘ they thought. ‘Didn’t Mr. Garza say this place was theirs? How did it suddenly become Mr. Wade’s?‘
When they saw the bound men at the scrapyard entrance, the mercenaries knew better than to make a scene.
After all, Ashton was not someone they could afford to cross.
‘Mr. Garza had shelled out a fortune to hire us for his grandson’s rescue, they thought, ‘but before we could even make a move, we lost their territory. Is there even a point in trying to save Mr. Garza’s grandson now? He’s probably already dead anyway!‘
“We’re here to rescue Mr. Garza’s grandson. If possible, could you please tell Mr. Wade to release Hayden?” one of the mercenaries asked.
The mercenaries still feared Ashton’s power. They all operated along the borders, and Ashton’s methods were well–known in those areas.
Even though Ashton had rarely appeared on the border recently, Connor’s entire way of operating was straight out of Ashton’s playbook.
The lead black–clad bodyguard glanced at them and asked, “Did the Garzas tell you why Mr. Wade took Hayden?”
The mercenary shook his head. “Nope. We do the job for money. No questions asked about the employer.”
Cash rules. They never pried into their clients‘ business.
The lead black–clad bodyguard smirked sympathetically, adopting a surprisingly polite tone. “You might as well get your facts straight before coming here. Otherwise, you’ll stir up trouble and bring unwanted heat to yourselves.”
Doubtful but dutiful, the mercenaries sent a man to verify, and after he came back with the result, they all fell silent.
They traded looks, then without another word, piled back into their vehicles and drove off.
“Damn! Mr. Garza treated us like suckers,‘ they thought. ‘His grandson dared to kidnap Ashton’s woman, and he still thought he could just pay us to bail him out? Does he want us to end up in the grave with his grandson?‘
The mercenaries left grumbling and cursing, but whether they’d turn around and cause trouble for Geoff was none of the bodyguards‘ concern.
One of the bodyguards filmed the whole thing and sent it to Brandon. “Brandon, it looks like the Garzas still haven’t given up. Our guys must not have found Bersy Island yet!”
If they had, the bodyguard thought, ‘the Garzas wouldn’t be acting so calm, let alone have the guts to send mercenaries right to our door asking for Hayden back, unless they had a death wish!
Brandon just shrugged it off. “Let them do whatever they want. The Garzas are doomed this time, no matter what.”
‘No matter how much they struggle, Brandon thought, ‘there’s no way they can escape Ashton’s final reckoning.
‘From those underground labs and shady drugs nearly twenty years ago, to the recent corpse case at Shoneport University… One thing after another, they’ve been dancing on Ashton’s bottom Ime for years.
‘And now, they’ve added kidnapping Miss Jennings to their list of crimes. The Garza family is doomed.‘
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Meanwhile, Briar and Ashton had already left for Bersy Island. No matter how fast they drove, it still took over three hours to reach the coast.
As if the universe were against them, just as they pulled up next to the yacht, a sudden downpour hit the sea.
“Damn it! We can’t go out in this weather,” Reece said and grabbed Ashton, who was trying to get out of the car. “The waves out there right now would tear this yacht apart.”
Ashton wasn’t bothered by it. “Just a level–eight storm, no big deal.”
‘We’ve braved way worse storms before, and this is nothing to us,‘ Ashton thought.
Hamish’s mouth twitched. “Just a level–eight storm? Ashton, you can go ahead and take the risk if you want, but do you think Briar can handle it?”
‘No matter how badass Briar is, she’s still got a small frame. There’s no way she can handle the rough tossing of the ocean waves,‘ Hamish thought.
As soon as Hamish finished speaking, Ashton pulled the car door, which he had just opened, shut again, and he didn’t get out after all. Ashton turned to Briar, asking for her opinion, “Briar, should we wait until the rain stops before heading out?”
To his surprise, instead of answering, Briar just pushed the door open and stepped out. “It’s just a bit of wind and rain, no big deal. Let’s head out now.”
With that, she walked away without even looking back.
Ashton hurried after her, leaving Reece and Hamish utterly stunned.
“Holy crap! That’s wild!” Reece blurted out. “Ashton’s already a madman, and now we’ve got Briar, who’s a total maniac. The Garza family is seriously doomed this time.”
Hamish shrugged. “Exactly! Let’s go. Both of them are already on the boat. If we don’t join them, I’m afraid Briar will take the yacht and leave us behind. Better play along with the daredevils!”
They followed Ashton and Briar onto the yacht. Hamish’s prediction turned out to be spot on. The moment Briar stepped on board, she headed straight for the cockpit. If Ashton hadn’t stopped her in time, she would’ve already taken the wheel.
“Ashton, your girl is a total badass!” Reece laughed, genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected Hamish’s words to come true. Briar indeed wanted to take the yacht for a spin herself.
Ashton was a little helpless. “Yeah, she’s something.”
“Baby, the waves are too rough. Let the pros handle it. Let’s go chill in the lounge for a bit,” Ashton said, quickly pulling Briar away.
Reece quickly chimed in, “That’s right! Let’s take a break first. We’ll have our hands full once we get to the island.”
Hamish went to fetch some of Ashton’s prized liquor from the yacht. He said, “If you ask me, only a real badass would dare to have a few drinks at a time like this.”
As he spoke, Hamish poured Briar a glass of strong gin, 58% alcohol, no less.
Briar took the glass and, with the yacht rocking beneath her, downed the whole thing in one go. Ashton tried to snatch the glass away, but he was a second too late.
“Are you stupid? Hamish was only trying to mess with you,” Ashton said with a sigh, quickly helping her over to the sofa. “Dizzy? Does your stomach feel upset?”
Briar shook her head. “I’m fine, Ashton. Truth is, I hold my liquor pretty well”
She wasn’t exaggerating. She never got flushed from drinking. Even if she finished a whole bottle,
one could tell she had a drop.
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When Reece heard that, he clapped his hands and laughed. “Alright then! All our worrying was for nothing. Whenever Briar says stuff like that, you know she’s not just a little impressive, but she’s on a whole other level!”
‘Those legendary alter egos Briar had exposed before are proof enough,‘ Reece thought.
Hamish poured himself a glass and drank it down in one go. “Damn, that’s strong!”
Ashton stopped Hamish from pouring another for Briar. “No more drinks for her. Let’s keep her sharp for the fight.”
Only then did Hamish set the bottle down. “Alright.”
Reece brought over a bunch of snacks. “Here, line your stomach a bit.”
Right then, Ashton’s satellite phone buzzed. He picked up, listened for a bit, nodded, and hung up. Turning to the group, he said, “Our guys have already made it onto Bersy Island. As soon as we dock, we’re good to go.”
Chapter 220
Chapter 220
