Chapter 185 Strong on the Outside, Torn on the Inside
Late at night, inside the police station hospital.
Alexander had just patched up a knife wound to his ribs when John rushed in with his team.
"How are you?" John asked from the doorway.
"Just a scratch, no stitches needed," Alexander replied. The station doctor, who knew everyone, smiled and added, "Keep it dry and avoid heavy lifting."
"Thanks," Alexander said.
"Alright."
"Let's talk outside," Alexander said, throwing his coat over his shoulders and motioning for John and the others to follow.
A few minutes later.
Emily and Abigail were sitting on a bench in the hallway, waiting. Alexander and John stepped into the stairwell to chat.
"When we got there, the guys had just bolted. We were so close to nabbing them," John grumbled. "Bad luck."
Alexander wiped the dried blood off his hands. "Both of them dead?"
"Yeah," John nodded. "Stabbed seven or eight times, then shot."
"Where are the bodies?"
"At the station morgue," John sighed. "If we'd been a few minutes earlier, it wouldn't be such a mess. Those two were key to our case. Now that they're dead, it's gonna be tougher to go after the Wilde family."
"Adam's onto us," Alexander said, looking up. "He knows Zephyr's death isn't just a coincidence."
"Are we being played too?" John asked.
"Yeah, some big shot is gunning for Adam," Alexander said, glancing through the glass at the hallway. "The media's in on it too. Emily was supposed to cover this case, but she got spooked on her way home."
"Who'd want to take down the Wilde family and drag the media into it?" John wondered.
"At our level, we can't see who's pulling the strings," Alexander said. "Let's not rush. If someone's targeting Adam, we'll wait and see how it plays out."
"What about the bodies? How do we write the report?"
"Write it up as usual," Alexander said. "We were following leads, but we were too late, and they got killed."
"Got it," John nodded.
"Let's head out," Alexander said, opening the door and stepping out of the stairwell.
On the bench, Emily had washed the blood off her face and hair. She looked a bit dazed, still shaken by what had happened.
"Feeling better?" Alexander asked as he walked over.
Emily snapped out of it and stood up. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just a shallow cut," Alexander said, checking his watch. "If you're good, I'll head back. Still got work at the precinct."
"Alright," Emily nodded.
"Go home, take a hot bath, have a drink, and get some sleep. You'll feel better," Alexander said gently. "And report what happened tonight to your boss. If he wants you to get the scoop, he needs to have your back. Otherwise, you're just a sitting duck."
Emily was taken aback. "I understand."
"Good, I'm off then," Alexander said, turning to leave.
Emily watched his back and suddenly called out, "Alexander!"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks!" Emily said earnestly.
"Always saying useless things." Alexander smiled and winked at her. "If you really want to thank me, do something real."
Emily was stunned as Alexander and John turned the corner towards the elevator.
"He definitely wants to sleep with you," Abigail said seriously, walking over.
Emily glared at her. "Why are you always thinking about that?"
Neon Club, top floor.
William stood by the window, hands behind his back, staring out at the night, his thoughts a tangled mess.
He wasn't an idiot. When he heard Hubert had been killed, he knew someone powerful in Pine City was gunning for Adam. If he sided with Adam, he'd be facing that same threat.
To get his company's goods moving smoothly through the Riverside District, he needed Adam. But was it worth the risk?
William was torn. He needed to make a name for himself and earn the company's trust, but he feared Adam might not hold up, dragging him down too.
He thought of his older brother Terry and felt a pang of sadness.
Terry might not have been perfect, but when he was around, William never felt so exhausted. No matter how chaotic things got, he only needed to stay safe at the precinct, and Terry would handle the rest.
When Terry was alive, William often thought he was rigid, single-minded, and sometimes too impulsive. But now, he realized he might have been wrong. It was one thing to watch from the sidelines, another to be in the hot seat.
William sighed, looking at a photo of him and Terry on his desk, feeling a deep sorrow and his eyes reddening.
Just as he was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
William quickly wiped his eyes and composed himself.
Enrique entered with a smile. "It's done."
"Thanks, Enrique." William patted his shoulder.
"William, no need to be so polite with the higher-ups," Enrique replied with a knowing smile.
"I'm not being polite with the higher-ups, I'm being polite with you," William said steadily.
Enrique smiled and walked to the water cooler to get a drink. "Are you going to see Adam later?"
"I was about to, but Jasper called and said he had something important to discuss. I'm waiting for him," William replied, sitting on the couch.
As he finished speaking, there was another knock on the door.
"Come in," William called out again.
Jasper entered with a smile. "Enrique's here too?"
"Yeah." Enrique nodded at Jasper, holding his cup.
"What's so urgent?" William asked.
Jasper pondered for a moment and then sat across from William. "What's the most critical thing right now?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Enrique replied first, "Nothing's more important than finding those thugs and figuring out who's behind this."
Jasper smiled. "William, I might be able to find those thugs."
William was stunned.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
