Chapter 399
Chapter 399
In the darkness, Winter’s scalp prickled and her ears rang. She could hear the rush of her own blood and the pounding of her heart.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart slammed hard against her ribs.
Just now, she had heard Gavin’s voice call Fabian “Boss Kane p>
Winter had looked into Fabian before. He had grown up near the border. Back then, the man in charge there was Bart. Fabian had been one of Bart’s men, and at the time, he hadn’t even had a real name.
Bart had called him Kane.
Later, after Bart died, Fabian gave himself the name Fabian Kane. By then, “Kane” had become a name known throughout the border factions, and everyone there called him Boss Kane out of fear and respect.
There was no doubt it was a title of respect.
So how could Gavin possibly address Fabian that way?
Gavin and Chris might look like employer and assistant, or employer and bodyguard, but their bond was more like brotherhood.
When Chris left the military and returned to Liono City, Gavin had already been by his side.
Winter had once asked Gavin about it. He had only told her briefly that when he was a mercenary, he had been seriously injured, and Chris had saved him.
Gavin would never betray Chris.
That voice couldn’t have been Gavin’s. It only sounded so much like him that she had almost mistaken it for him.
Then what about Skyla’s voice?
She had heard Fabian take a call saying Skyla had been rescued. It wasn’t strange
for Skyla to appear here.
The problem was, this mountain path was steep, and the woods were almost impossible to walk through. How had Skyla gotten up here?
Had the man whose voice sounded like Gavin’s carried her up?
Winter had no time to think about that now, because the rustling sounds were getting closer and closer, moving right toward her.
She held her breath and quietly stepped back.
One hand braced against a tree trunk, while her other hand reached behind her, feeling for another tree to use as support.
Slowly, she backed away.
She planted her shoes carefully on the ground. When she felt a dry branch sticking up beneath her foot, she immediately shifted away to avoid snapping it.
After taking two steps back, she reached behind her again, trying to find another tree trunk.
But suddenly, her fingertips touched something that wasn’t rough bark.
It was soft.
+25 Bonus
Fabric.
A shiver shot through her entire body. A cry almost escaped her throat, but she forced it back down.
The instant she pulled her hand away, a cold hand wrapped around her wrist like a snake and locked down tight.
Icy rain dripped from the branches overhead.
A breath drew closer. Damp and cold, it brushed against her ear. Then a light, ghostlike voice sounded beside her.
“Ms. Scott, you really are naughty p>
Winter’s ears buzzed.
Her body reacted faster than her mind. If she escaped only to be caught again, she would never get another chance. She struggled with everything she had, but Fabian’s grip was too strong. He pinned her against the tree trunk.
His cold breath poured into her ear again.
“When I was still just a foot soldier, I climbed more mountains like this than I can count. Trying to escape from me is nothing but wishful thinking p>
He leaned close to her ear and laughed softly, like a snake flicking its tongue.
Winter’s whole body went cold and stiff.
The rough tree bark scraped painfully against her ear, but she still refused to stop struggling. She lifted her foot and kicked at Fabian.
In the darkness, someone stepped on a dry branch.
Crack.
“Who’s there?” A cold shout rang out, followed by the sound of a gun being raised.
Fabian released Winter’s shoulder, but one hand still clamped around her wrist like a cuff. His voice remained calm, almost amused.
“Garrett, it’s me p>
Footsteps slowly approached.
A faint blue light gradually lit up the small patch of woods around them.
+25 Bonus
Chapter 400
“Boss Kane p>
Rain streaked through the beam of light.
The first person Winter saw was the tall man walking at the front, his posture straight and steady. Her already pale face went rigid.
He looked almost exactly like Gavin.
Even his voice sounded the same.
But Fabian had just called him Garrett.
Gavin. Garrett.
Before the thought could fully form, Winter saw a woman step out from behind Garrett. She was about the same height as Winter, with a similar build.
Skyla smiled softly, but her eyes were cold and dark. Her voice lifted slightly at the end.
“Winter p>
“Your legs…” Winter’s gaze dropped to Skyla’s legs. She stared at them, stunned, watching Skyla stand and walk on her own. Her lips parted, then pressed tightly together.
A mocking curve touched her mouth.
“Of course. Your acting has always been excellent p>
Once, Skyla had played the role of Winter’s best friend so convincingly that Winter had thought that was the peak of her acting. She had never imagined Skyla could pretend to be disabled for years, sitting in a wheelchair day after day.
Skyla was the most ruthless person Winter had ever met, even toward herself.
Hatred flashed in Skyla’s eyes.
Winter had taken Chris’s heart so easily, while Skyla had had to fake a disability just to earn a scrap of his pity.
Winter had everything handed to her, yet she dared to mock Skyla’s acting.
How ridiculous.
Skyla raised her hand to slap Winter p>
The instant she moved, Winter reacted fast. She lifted the wrist Fabian was holding and raised her arm, forcing Fabian’s hand in front of her like a shield.
Fabian looked up.
Under the faint blue light, his polished, gentlemanly mask seemed to crack, revealing the cold cruelty underneath.
If Skyla’s hand landed on his, he looked as if he might tear her apart in the next second.
Skyla narrowed her eyes and pulled her hand back.
Fabian glanced sideways at Winter, amused that she had used him as a shield.
Then he shoved her toward Garrett.
“We’re out of time. Gag her and carry her p>
+25 Bonus
The order had barely left his mouth before Garrett pulled a towel from his pocket and stuffed it into Winter’s mouth.
Then he wrapped an arm around her waist, threw her over his shoulder, and followed Fabian and Skyla.
Winter’s head dropped sharply. Blood rushed downward, and her vision went black for a moment. She nearly passed out.
With the towel in her mouth, she couldn’t argue or fight back.
Once they left the woods, Garrett’s steps were fast and steady. Winter forced her eyes open, but rain fell into them, cold and stinging, forcing her to shut them again.
Then she pretended to gag.
Sure enough, the man carrying her stopped.
Fabian stopped too. He knew Garrett hated anything dirty. If Winter actually threw up on him, Garrett would lose his temper.
“Put her down,” Fabian said. “Drag her along instead p>
Without a word, Garrett swung Winter down from his shoulder.
Her feet hadn’t even touched the ground before she landed hard on the dirt.
Winter thought to herself that Garrett really was probably Gavin’s twin brother. They looked alike. They sounded alike. Even their obsession with cleanliness was the same.
If he kept carrying her over his shoulder, she would be too dizzy to look for a chance to escape.
The rain gradually stopped, and a thin sliver of moonlight fell over the mountain.
They had already left the barren hill behind. Ahead of them stretched endless mountains, no longer within Liono City’s jurisdiction.
Winter didn’t know how much time had passed since she heard Fabian call to ask when the helicopter would arrive.
But she knew she was running out of time.
Garrett wouldn’t be easy to deal with, and Skyla knew her too well.
How was she supposed to escape from them?
BIG SALE: 3500 bonus free fou you
D
Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.