Chapter 524 Make a Call
James was impressed by Mary's shooting, but instead of complimenting her, he rushed to capture the hitman.
The attacker's back was soaked in blood from Mary's bullet. Though not fatal, it was a serious wound.
Several Smith Corporation guards surrounded the hitman, guns pointed at her head. "Don't move!"
With surprising quickness, the hitman flicked her head, sending needles flying silently through the air. Three guards yelped as their weapons clattered to the floor. Before the remaining two could fire, she swept her leg out, knocking them down.
Taking advantage of the chaos, she gritted her teeth and crawled toward the window again.
James delivered a powerful kick to her side. The hitman raised both hands to block, but on contact, her face changed dramatically. She groaned and went flying.
Before she could recover, James pinned her down, gripping her throat. "You're done. Stop struggling."
He efficiently dislocated her limbs and knocked out two poison teeth before pulling off her mask. A delicate, youthful face came into view—short hair, oval face, almond eyes, and small cherry lips.
Unlike Scarlett's seductive appearance, she looked innocent and fresh-faced. James guessed she couldn't be older than twenty.
Restrained and helpless, the young woman glared at him with pure hatred, unable even to take her own life.
The guards rushed over with restraints and bound her tightly.
Mary approached. "Who are you?" Her voice was cold—she disliked violence, but seeing someone nearly harm James had brought out her edge.
The hitman pressed her lips together stubbornly.
"You think your silence keeps me from knowing who you are?" James smiled, picking up one of her needles. "You're with Death's Vigil. You and Scarlett are on the same team."
He twirled the needle between his fingers. "Just like her, you came for the bounty on my head."
James took a few silver needles and poked specific points on the hitman's back to slow her bleeding.
Mary frowned slightly. Death's Vigil sounded familiar—she thought her father had mentioned it once.
"How do you know that?" The hitman's cold expression cracked. "Where did you get this information?"
James had clearly shocked her. He knew not only her organization but also about Scarlett—information only insiders should have.
"Scarlett told me, of course," James replied with unsettling gentleness. "Two days ago, she failed to kill me and ended up with a broken arm. After some persuasion, she betrayed Death's Vigil."
He leaned closer. "She surrendered to me and revealed everything about your organization—even taught me how to spot people like you. That's why I noticed you watching and set this trap."
The young woman's face transformed with hatred. From her perspective, James knowing about Death's Vigil and Scarlett, plus his preparation for her attack, could only mean one thing: Scarlett had betrayed them.
"It doesn't matter if you talk," James said, taking her picture with his phone. "I just need to show this to Scarlett to learn everything about you."
He nodded to the guards. "Call the police. Get her to a hospital and make sure they watch her closely."
The guards dragged the young woman away.
"With your usual approach to enemies, I'm surprised you're being so gentle," Mary said once they were alone. "Not only sparing her life but arranging medical care? That's not like you at all."
"I'm playing the long game," James smiled. "With her in custody, her organization will worry about her talking and send people to rescue her. Then we can catch them one by one."
He leaned against the counter. "It also divides their attention—they'll send operatives for a rescue mission instead of focusing everything on killing me. Death's Vigil is unpredictable; I need to think several steps ahead."
"I suspect there's more to it," Mary said, pinching his ear. "You think I can't see what you're really doing? Keeping her alive, feeding her that story—you want her to tell Death's Vigil that Scarlett betrayed them."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're driving a wedge between Scarlett and her organization. Trying to isolate her, aren't you?"
After a year of marriage, Mary could read James easily when she focused.
"You got me," James admitted. "That woman is dangerous, so I need others to deal with her. Let Death's Vigil handle Scarlett themselves."
"I'm curious—how can you be so sure the hitman will badmouth Scarlett given the chance?" Mary asked.
James picked up a few needles. "These are about seventy percent similar to Scarlett's, and her technique mimics Scarlett's style. She's clearly imitating her."
His eyes gleamed. "Whether out of admiration or hatred, she wants to take Scarlett's place. If it's admiration, seeing her idol fall will create an obsession to replace her. If it's hatred, seeing a stronger person falter when fame is within reach, she'll happily kick Scarlett while she's down."
"Is that so?" Mary leaned closer, her perfume enveloping him. "I think you want Scarlett completely isolated so you can swoop in and be her hero."
James looked startled—her intuition was too accurate.
"Not at all! Why would I waste time with someone who wants to kill me?" He gently held her hand. "Besides, you're ten times more beautiful. Why would I look at her?"
"That's better," Mary said, pulling away and walking toward the door. "Let's get to the tea shop."
James hurried after her. Just as they reached the door, his phone vibrated. He answered to hear Christopher's anxious voice:
"James, we've got trouble. People from the Ultimate Martial Arts Academy are here causing problems..."
"Tell them to make one phone call before they start anything," James replied casually, giving them Uri's phone number.
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