Chapter 260
Gianna yanked Felix into some random apartment building, shoved a gun and a knife into his hands, and snapped, "Stay put!"
She turned to leave, but Felix grabbed her wrist.
"I'm coming with you," he insisted.
"You'll just slow me down. Keep yourself safe," she shot back.
Felix felt like he was being brushed off.
Gianna bolted, and soon enough, gunshots echoed through the night, dragging on until dawn.
Back in Dawnridge, word spread fast about the Hansen gang getting wiped out.
Thomas had just rolled out of bed when he got the call, and his face went pale.
Two hours later, in some rundown villa on the outskirts of Dawnridge, Thomas was strung up, his body a mess of wounds, except for his face.
Pain radiated from every inch of him, twisting his features and filling his eyes with terror.
"Mr. Moore, I messed up. I won't go rogue again. Please, cut me some slack!"
Mr. Moore, chilling a few feet away in a golden mask and black suit, swirled his wine glass, oozing menace.
"Idiots are such a pain," he muttered.
His goons started wailing on Thomas again. When he was barely hanging on, Mr. Moore finally said, "Cut him down."
Thomas hit the ground, too weak to even beg.
Mr. Moore strolled over, nudging Thomas's chin with his shoe. "Your stupidity cost me thousands of men last time. Now, because of you, the Hansen gang got wiped out and taken over. Do you have any idea the mess you've made?"
"I know I screwed up."
Mr. Moore sneered, "Just admitting it doesn't fix anything. Thomas, you're way out of your league."
Thomas went pale, swallowing hard, "So what do I..."
Before he could finish, one of Mr. Moore's guys grabbed his left hand. With a quick slice and a scream, Thomas's pinky was gone.
Thomas writhed in agony, veins popping on his forehead, cold sweat pouring down, "Ah! My finger!"
He clutched his hand, blood pooling on the floor, looking gruesome.
Mr. Moore stared down at him, speaking slowly, "This is just a taste. You pretended to follow orders but went behind my back. I told you not to mess with Felix. If he wasn't still breathing, you'd be dead."
Thomas, shaking with fear, asked, "Mr. Moore, why are you protecting Felix?"
Mr. Moore sneered, "You're not in a position to ask. You've got a month. If you don't bring me what I want, I can make you the president of the Clinton Group, but I can also take it all away in a heartbeat!"
Thomas trembled, fear gripping him.
It wasn't until Mr. Moore and his crew left that Thomas's body finally relaxed, and he passed out.
"Mr. Moore, by the time our guys got there, Iris and Felix were gone. No clue where they went."
Mr. Moore smiled, calm as ever, "Don't sweat it. They'll come back to Dawnridge eventually."
"Yes, sir!"
After taking out the gang and personally offing Hansen, Gianna took Felix somewhere to heal up.
Half a month later, Felix was almost back to normal, and they headed back to Dawnridge.
While they were gone, the Clinton family went through some serious shake-ups.
As soon as they got back to the villa, Felix called James over.
Seeing Felix, James lit up, "Felix, Gianna, you guys are finally back!"
Felix's face was stone-cold, "How's the job I gave you?"
Before skipping town, Felix had tasked James with digging up dirt on Thomas, planning to use it to ruin him in the next presidential election.
"Everything's set, but while you were gone, your dad got nabbed for that car crash six years ago with Jesse and Maria. Your mom and grandma? Thomas snatched them, and we got no clue where they're at. I've been searching for a week, but nada!"
Felix's face darkened, "Keep looking!"
After James left, Gianna turned to Felix, "You're still not 100%. Rest up and let me handle finding Natalie."
Felix's expression stayed icy, "No need. I'm almost good, and the Clinton Group's election is coming up. I gotta get ready."
Gianna sighed, "Alright, but take care of yourself. Delegate when you can."
"Got it," Felix replied.
"I need to hit the office and take care of some stuff," Gianna said.
As soon as Gianna left, Felix grabbed a spare phone and shot a text to Bella.
Since Bella was shacking up with Thomas, she might have the scoop on Natalie and Ximena.
Meanwhile, Bella carried a food box down to the basement of Thomas's villa.
In the dimly lit basement, there were just two crappy iron beds and a toilet.
Natalie and Ximena were chained up, staring blankly at Bella.
Bella had been bringing them food this whole time.
At first, when Thomas locked them up, Natalie and Ximena fought back, but eventually, they gave up. Thomas still hadn't found the key, though.
Bella placed the bread in front of them and slipped them each a piece of chocolate, whispering, "Eat."
Just then, the basement door creaked open, and Thomas strutted in with two goons.
He marched straight to Natalie, his face twisted with malice, "Grandma, where's the key? If you don't spill, I might have to hurt Ximena right in front of you. Don't make me do it!"
Mr. Moore's crew had been breathing down his neck, getting more impatient and less willing to back him in the Clinton Group.
If he didn't cough up the key soon, Mr. Moore would yank him from the president's seat.
'But what the hell is this key? What's it for? Why haven't I ever heard the Clinton family mention it?' Thomas wondered.
Natalie glared at him, "I don't know what key you're talking about, and I've never seen it. Harmony Garden's only so big. If you don't believe me, send your guys to search."
Thomas's face darkened. He'd torn Harmony Garden apart looking for it but came up empty.
After a moment, he smirked, "Grandma, just hand over the key, and I'll let you and Ximena go. Deal?"
Natalie didn't flinch, "I've told you, I don't know what key you're talking about."
Thomas's smile vanished, and he kicked over the plate of bread next to Natalie. "Looks like you wanna watch Ximena die right in front of you."
With that, he signaled his goons, and they pinned Ximena to the ground.
Natalie's face finally changed, "Thomas, what are you doing?"
