Chapter 683 Get Out of the Way
"No, Gregory used to hit them up first. They only got Gregory's digits. I tried calling them from their phone, but it was always off," Jacques paused for a sec and then went on, "I shot Gregory a message on their WhatsApp, pretending Ms. Medici got nabbed, but he didn't bite."
"If you said that, Gregory probably figured out that Charlotte and the others are in our hands and won't respond anymore," Caleb said, ice-cold.
"Huh?" Jacques was a bit thrown. "Did I just blow my cover?"
He thought he could make Gregory slip up and reveal his spot, but Gregory was too quick on the uptake.
He thought he nailed it.
"The hospital called, said Abella bounced. Tail her and make sure she's good," Caleb ordered coolly, "I'll get someone else on Gregory."
"Got it!" Jacques took the order and dipped out.
Abella grabbed a cab to Amber townlet. The driver gave her a heads-up to be careful since the place was sketchy and not safe for a girl solo.
Abella thanked him, paid up, and hopped out. The sky was dark, like it was about to dump rain.
The town looked old and beat-up, with narrow, messy streets. A few folks shuffled by, looking rough and down on their luck. There were some beggars too, but not the sad kind—more like the aggressive type, jacking the old and weak.
Abella didn't want to tip off the female vendor's husband and planned to keep her head down today.
After getting out, she pulled up her hoodie and followed the street signs into a deep alley.
Today, she was rocking casual clothes and canvas shoes, no backpack or baseball cap.
The alley was dark and busted, with dirty stone pavements covered in green moss. She could hear a drunk dude beating his wife and some young punks robbing the elderly.
As Abella passed each house, she heard different sounds and saw different scenes.
Some old folks were so hungry they were about to keel over, holding a busted bowl and begging in front of their homes.
There were also kids who had died from sickness, wrapped up in a blanket and left at the door, with family members crying around them.
At the end of the long alley were stone steps going up. After about twelve or thirteen steps, a left turn and another seven or eight steps led to another deep, dark alley.
The alleys in this town were a maze, full of history and age.
Abella followed the broken house numbers at each door and kept walking.
A group of young women smoking saw her clean clothes and shoes, which, though not branded, looked pretty nice, and started tailing her.
Abella pretended to pull out a pack of tissues from her pocket, dropping something on the ground. One of the women scooped it up and saw it was a medical report showing late-stage cancer and a debt of 200,000 euros. They exchanged looks and decided to back off.
Abella walked into another alley, where a few young dudes saw her fresh and elegant face under the hood and started following her.
One of the guys whistled and asked, "You from Libertya? I'm from Libertya too."
Abella ignored him and kept moving. Just a few houses ahead was where the female vendor's husband, Oliver Cornell, was hiding, but these punks weren't about to let her go.
Especially the scruffy leader, who blocked her path and tried to act all charming, asking, "What's your name?"
Abella fought the urge to deck him and said coldly, "I got no cash. Move."
The scruffy guy laughed. "I don't want your money. It's your pretty face we're into. How about hanging with us?"
"Sure, in a bit." Abella planned to deal with them later; she had bigger fish to fry right now.
Just as she was about to move forward, the scruffy guy blocked her again. "Miss, if you wanna leave, at least come up with a better excuse. How can I believe you?"
He reached for her chin, but she dodged.
The other guys circled her, laughing and ready to mess with her. Just as Abella was about to throw down, someone jumped down from the eaves, kicked one of them away, and punched the others, standing in front of Abella.
Abella looked up and smiled. "Jacques?"
"Ms. Medici, sorry for the scare." Jacques stood protectively in front of Abella, glaring coldly at the punks.
"Playing hero, huh?" The scruffy guy got mad. "Do you even know whose turf this is?"
The punks pulled out knives and lunged at Jacques.
Jacques was a pro, and these guys were no match for him.
In no time, the punks were on the ground, begging for mercy.
"Scram."
Hearing Jacques' command, the punks bolted. Jacques turned and asked, "Ms. Medici, you okay? Mr. Harris sent me. He was worried about you."
Abella said, "I know. I spotted you tailing me the moment I got out of the cab."
Jacques was a bit taken aback, not expecting Abella to have noticed him so soon. Her counter-surveillance skills were top-notch.
"Ms. Medici, why are you here? What's going on?" Just as Jacques finished speaking, the sound of breaking glass hit their ears. Abella reacted instantly. "Not good."
She sprinted forward. The door with the number 6-498 was locked from the inside and wouldn't budge. Abella took a few steps back, ready to kick it open, but Jacques ran over. "Ms. Medici, let me handle it."
Before he could finish, Abella kicked the door open and stormed inside.
Jacques was stunned. He didn't expect Abella to be so strong. The door was locked from the inside, and even he, a grown man, might not have been able to kick it open in one go.
How did Abella do it?
Abella rushed in to find the living room dark and messy, with steaming food on the coffee table. It was clear the owner had just started eating before bolting through the window.
The skylight in the house was small and sealed with glass. To leave through it, one would have to break the entire skylight to fit an adult through.
Oliver must have noticed someone coming and fled.
Abella wanted to follow him, but Jacques grabbed her arm. "Ms. Medici, wait."
He cleared the broken glass from the edges and, seeing no danger, squatted down. "Ms. Medici, step on me to get up."
"No need." Abella pushed him aside, took a few steps back, sprinted, and easily climbed up the wall to the skylight, slipping through the window.
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