Chapter hundred and twenty one

Chapter 121

Dallas

Everyone gathered in the living room upstairs in less than ten minutes. Xavier spent the night here too. It seems Ethan texted them before coming to meet Heather and I.

Turns out, his ruffled appearance wasn't only because he just woke up.

“Alright, Ethan, let's hear it.” Oliver said, half groaning.

He couldn't walk properly yet. He was limping seriously when he attempted to walk out of the room. It took the combined effort of Ethan and Xavier before he could get to the living room.

It was why we decided on holding this meeting in the living room upstairs instead of having me climb all the way down. He grumbled his disapproval and insisted we go downstairs. No one listened to him but it didn't stop him from groaning.

He refused crutches, despite the pain. His response was that his leg wasn't broken and he'd walk in a few days.

Ethan winced as if unsure whether to share the information or not. In the end he let out a sigh.

“I'm not too sure it was Lucken behind this or someone else, but–” he paused and connected his phone to the laptop.

Sounds of gunshots filled the air. I recognized the footage immediately. I was there last night. But the cameras didn't cover even half of the area, certainly not where I was hiding with Ron. It seem to be the only surveillance camera there.

The incident seem like a gang fight. It wasn't at all surprising. That part of the city was popular for housing the most notorious criminals who have succeeded in evading the law. It wasn't surprising that Lucien found shelter there.

But it also provided another worry about who might be helping. The person will surely be dangerous.

The sound continued but the camera didn't catch any faces. They did well to steer clear of it.

“I tracked the location of Dallas and Ron's stakeout few hours ago. I checked the surveillance cameras in the area to see if any had caught Lucien's face. I found this instead.” he explained.

“Seems like a normal gang fight to me.” Heather shrugged.

“No, it's not.” The three men said in unison as if reading each other's minds.

They didn't even seem to notice what they did as they wore serious expressions on their faces. Heather and I exchanged a look and smiled.

“They're only two people shooting, they'd be more if it were a gang fight.” Oliver explained.

“The two guns are also in close range to each other, judging by the sound of the bullets and the number of shots.” Xavier said thoughtfully.

“The person shooting seems intent to hurt, not kill, or plant fear in his target's mind. The other person seems trapped and trying to escape. Neither seem to be targeting to down the other.”

Ron. My breath hitched at the thought. Lucien had wanted to hurt him. To hurt me? Does he know about our relationship?

“I thought the same.” Ethan said and Oliver nodded in agreement.

How they were able to depict such things from a video with nothing in it's frame, only the audio, I didn't know. And I didn't have the time to marvel at their abilities now, not as dread filled me.

Ethan pulled up another footage from his phone. This one was dark, evidence that the camera had been broken, but the audio was still clear.

A sound of explosion interrupted the gunshots and i flinched slightly. Everything went quiet after the explosion.

My eyes flew to Ethan, demanding answers. He seem to understand the look.

“The gunshots started three minutes after you left the scene, the explosive went off seven minutes after. Precisely ten minutes after you left.” He seem to hesitate a bit.

“The explosive was planted at the spot your car was parked.” He said and my heart stopped dead.

Ten minutes after I left? Just ten? I'd come so close to being blown to smithereens and was only saved by my urgency to see Oliver. I swayed slightly.

Oliver placed his uninjured hand on the small of my back and rubbed soothing circles on it.

“He wanted to kill me.” I whispered.

Even saying it out doesn't sound believable. I'd suspected he would be more dangerous and bloodthirsty now, but he wanted to kill me. He would have succeeded in it if I hadn't left.

“We don't know that.” Ethan said, but he sounded unsure.

“He doesn't want to kill you.” Xavier said from where he sat, his eyes still fixed on the dark screen.

“I get that you both are trying to not make me feel like shit, but we just watched that together. Sounds like a murder execution all right.” I said, my voice firmer than I anticipated.

“I'm not trying to make you feel anything. He doesn't want to kill you.” Xavier said matter-of-factly.

Oliver glared at him, probably because of his nonchalant tone. Xavier sounded like he was discussing grocery list and not my life.

Whether he noticed Oliver's glare, he didn't let on. He lifted his stare to me.

“If he'd wanted you dead, you would have blown up with the car. Either Lucien is a very stupid man to plant the explosive at the spot where the car was parked, instead of planting it on the car, or he didn't intend to kill you.”

It made sense. It made so much sense why he made appearances now. He was bidding his time. And now that he was finally ready, he was doing things to bait me. And everyone would be collateral damage.

“Or he might just be sloppy at murdering someone.” Oliver supplied, still glaring at Xavier.

But we all knew that wasn't the case. Judging by the looks on their faces, they've came to the same conclusions as me.

“He has always been one to make dramatic entrances, I won't expect anything less from him.” I snorted.

“I don't mean to make the situation worse but there's something else.” Ethan announced.

We all turned to face him.
“It might be a clue. The area is frequented by Alberto Castillo's gang. If that's where Lucien has been hiding, then it makes sense that Castillo is helping him. I mean the man sure knows how to stay hidden. I've yet to get a catch on him.” He groaned at the last words.

What? Mason's father?

“It seems unlikely.” Oliver shook his head. “There's no connection between Castillo and Lucien. It might just be a big coincidence. Alberto has no reason to help Lucien. And I doubt they knew each other.”

Ethan shrugged.
“I just thought it might be a clue. But Alberto has disappeared for months now, it does seem unlikely.”

Xavier grunted his agreement.

“I'm assuming Lucien will no longer be in that area of he'd just spectacularly revealed himself.” I said. Eight pair of eyes whipped in my direction.

“It's a big guess but yes. Now that his view has been blown, it's only logical for him to change his base.”

I exhaled sharply, the idea taking form in my head.

“What are you thinking, Monkey?” Oliver said close to my ear, rubbing my back.

I could only assume he was using my nickname to try to calm me down.

“That there's a variable we're forgetting. An ammo we could use to our advantage. Someone who Lucien would likely pay a visit to.” I sucked in a breath. “Two someones actually.”

Ethan grinned widely, seemingly getting my plan immediately.

“I like how you're thinking, Sweetheart.” Ethan purred, pointedly avoiding his cousin's glare.

And Heather's?

I tucked that piece of information away and grinned widely,

“Let's go pay the Gilbert twins a small visit.”