Chapter 579 Cooperation
The search and rescue crew's still out there hunting for Reese, but they got leads so far. Malcolm had beefed up the team, even roping in folks from Giedon's squad, 'cause the local team can't pull all-nighters.
But, he got no time to let 'em chill. Every second counted.
When Giedon rolled up, he got his people in gear and then strolled over to Malcolm. One look at Malcolm's face, and he knew the guy was stressing hard.
In all these years, he'd never seen Malcolm look so wrecked. It hit him right in the feels.
He gave Malcolm a solid pat on the shoulder, "No need for a pep talk. Let's just bust our butts and hope for the best."
"Yeah, I get it," Malcolm nodded. He couldn't control the chaos, just push the team to give it their all. Life's a wild ride, after all.
But he had faith. Reese was a fighter; she'd pull through.
The big search party kicked off again. Even though it was dark, they lit the place up like it was noon. Meanwhile, Justin had tents set up nearby for the exhausted crew to crash.
Calvin and his team brought in food and drinks.
Calvin's crew had been on guard forever, even jumping into the search themselves. They didn't care about the grime or the grind. They just wanted Reese safe.
Justin came over with a boxed meal and saw Malcolm laser-focused on the search team.
"Mr. Flynn, you gotta eat something."
"I can't. Not until we find Reese."
"But you can't keel over. What if Mrs. Flynn's still out there and you drop first?"
Justin opened the meal and handed it to Malcolm.
Giedon chimed in, "We gotta find her, but you need to eat, too. If you crash before we find her, Reese will be worried sick about you."
A spark lit up in Malcolm's tired eyes when he heard Reese's name.
He finally grabbed the utensils and started eating. He didn't eat much, but at least he wouldn't pass out from hunger.
Just then, Alexander and his crew showed up. Seeing Malcolm and the others eating, Alexander, who was starving after a whole day of fruitless searching for Sebastian, was about to lose it, especially since Stephen had been blowing up his phone, calling at least ten times in one day.
Just as he was about to take a breather, Stephen called again, and Alexander had no choice but to pick up.
He put the phone to his ear, "I'm on it, but Nolan's slippery. I got no leads, and it's already dark. Where do you want me to look?"
Stephen had an idea. "Go ask Malcolm and his team for help. They must be gunning for Nolan, too."
But deep down, he couldn't help but worry. Reese was his daughter, after all. Even though they hadn't been in touch for years, blood ties still mattered.
He wouldn't admit it, but he was worried, even if just a bit.
Alexander had no clue what his dad was thinking. All he knew was he'd just had a showdown with Malcolm, and now Stephen wanted him to ask Malcolm for help. Talk about swallowing his pride.
Alexander immediately shot back, "Dad, you know Malcolm and I are like cats and dogs. Now you want me to ask him for help? How am I supposed to do that?"
"Is this really the time to worry about that? Isn't Sebastian's life the top priority right now?"
If Alexander had been standing in front of him, Stephen would've probably smacked him. What was he even thinking?
Sebastian's life was on the line, everything else had to take a backseat.
After getting chewed out by Stephen, Alexander had no choice but to cave. "Alright, fine. I'll go talk to Malcolm."
Stephen huffed, "Move it. I don't care what it takes, you gotta catch Nolan. Otherwise, Sebastian's in deep trouble and your mom's losing it at home."
"Got it." Alexander hung up, took a deep breath, and then headed towards Malcolm.
Calvin's face twisted with anger as soon as he saw Alexander, "What, still no sign of Mr. Sebastian Hawthorne?"
Alexander couldn't be bothered with Calvin and went straight to Malcolm. "Have you found Nolan?"
Given the Hawthorne family's attitude towards Reese, Malcolm had no reason to be nice to Alexander.
He replied coldly, "Whether we've found Nolan or not is none of your business."
Seeing Malcolm's icy and arrogant demeanor, Alexander wanted to turn and leave. Sure, the Flynn family had been doing well lately, but did they have to be so stuck-up?
But Sebastian was the priority now, or Stephen would have his head.
Alexander tried to keep his cool and said to Malcolm, "Mr. Flynn, you want to find Nolan because Reese's goal was to bring him to justice, right? Now Sebastian's also in Nolan's hands. I think we can team up. More people, easier to find Nolan."
Malcolm shot him down without a second thought, "No thanks."
Did Alexander think he didn't see through his game? He just wanted to use Malcolm's resources to find Sebastian.
He'd find Nolan eventually, but right now, his focus was on his wife, not Sebastian.
Alexander didn't expect Malcolm to shut him down so quickly.
He didn't want to ask Malcolm for help, either, but he had no choice. Stephen had laid down the law.
He had to keep trying to convince Malcolm. "Mr. Flynn, Reese also wants to find Nolan, right? If we find Nolan sooner and Reese is safe, she'll be relieved knowing you've brought Nolan to justice. Plus, Ms. Sawyer risked a lot to give you that info. She doesn't even know if her grandmother's alive. Mr. Flynn, imagine if it were Reese in this situation, what would she do?"
Malcolm knew that with Reese's character, she'd definitely help Sofia find Nolan and make sure her grandmother was safe.
But right now, he didn't want to think about anyone else; he just wanted to save Reese.
His stance remained firm, "Don't try to guilt-trip me. If the Hawthorne family wants to find Sebastian, do it yourselves. Right now, nothing's more important than my wife's life."
Sofia suddenly dropped to her knees, "Mr. Flynn, I'm begging you, please help me. My grandmother wouldn't make it through Nolan's ruthlessness."
Alexander felt like giving this girl a high-five; she was playing her part perfectly.
He added, "Exactly, Ms. Sawyer risked herself to inform you. You can't just leave her hanging now, can you?"
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