Chapter 355 Where is Matthew?
She kept on hammering that doorbell like it owed her money.
But nobody showed up.
The sky was getting all moody, the autumn chill was creeping in, and the wind had that bite to it.
Mary dropped her hand, let out a big ol' sigh, and turned to bounce.
She headed straight to the hotel, but as soon as she walked in, she saw the manager giving Mark the boot. "Sir, we're shutting down for renovations. You gotta go."
Mark was like, "It was all good when I got here. Why the sudden reno?"
The manager shot back, "Sir, please don't give us a hard time."
Mary strolled over and said, "Is it really renovations, or did someone put you up to this? Spill the beans, or I'll make sure you really shut down for good!"
The manager looked a bit shook when he saw her, then quickly said, "Sorry, I can't tell you that. We'll refund your money."
Mary's face went dark. She turned to Mark and said, "Mark, let's bounce."
These hotel folks were just puppets on someone else's strings.
Mark, lugging his bag, trailed behind Mary and let out a heavy sigh, "What now? It's clear they don't want to let Gerald go. They're trying to boot me out of Lindwood City!"
Mary wanted Mark to crash at her place, but the house belonged to Shirley. They were tight, so she could stay there, but bringing someone else was a no-go.
Even with friends, you gotta draw the line somewhere.
Mary looked at Mark. "You can crash at a short-term rental tonight. I'll find a spot tomorrow."
Mark quickly shook his head. "No way. I can just hit up a nearby city and commute. No biggie."
Mary gave a small smile. "I need to find a place anyway, so chill."
Mark went quiet for a sec, then said, "Mary, I'm really putting you out."
Mary said, "Don't talk like that. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have made it to college."
Mark just smiled. "You totally would have. You've always been a brainiac."
Thinking back on old times, Mark seemed to relax a bit.
Mary took Mark to a short-term rental, paid up, and told him to get some rest before heading out.
She stood by the quiet roadside and called out, "Sam!"
No answer.
But she knew Sam was lurking somewhere, keeping an eye on her.
"You want me to forgive you, right? Show yourself," Mary continued.
After a beat of silence, a figure stepped out from the bushes. Dressed in black, he was practically invisible in the night. If he hadn't moved, no one would've spotted him.
He walked up to her, stone-faced. "What do I gotta do to get your forgiveness?"
He'd been shadowing Mary, trying to make up for his past screw-ups.
If he could get Mary's forgiveness, he could go back to Matthew!
He didn't wanna stick around Mary; he craved the adrenaline rush of missions with Matthew!
Mary looked him dead in the eye and asked, "Where's Matthew?"
Sam shook his head. "I've been watching you. I don't know."
Mary said, "You're his guy. You should know your crew. Ask around. I need to know where Matthew is. Find him and tell me, and I'll forgive you."
Sam's face went stiff. "For real?"
