CHAPTER 192 Bad Things Come in Threes

*Xavier*

My sudden outburst was followed by an eerie silence. I raised my eyes and noticed that all my men were looking at me, waiting for instructions.

Actually, they looked more like they were ready to wage war. I couldn't blame them. Joy was as important to them as she was to me. She was family.

I quickly raised my hand, gesturing for all of them to go back to what they were doing. They hesitated at first, but eventually nodded their heads and went back to work.

I inhaled deeply, silently berating myself for losing my self-control.

And I only had this farce of a wedding to blame.

To everyone, I acted as cool as a cat. But deep down inside, I was angry... I was suffering... I was hurting...

"*Today isn't Joy's wedding*. *It's Virtue's*. *There's a difference*," I reminded myself.

However, I wasn't totally convinced.

*The heart knows*. *My heart knows*.

As much as I tried to trick myself into believing there was a difference, my heart knew better. It was torture knowing that I wouldn't be the man waiting for her at the altar. And the pain I was already anticipating when she and Liam exchanged their 'I do's' would be a pain I knew would be difficult for me to bear.

I took another deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly, forcing myself to calm down. *Remember*, *all of this is a means to an end*. I closed my eyes and pictured Joy celebrating her happy ending.

I opened my eyes, holding on to the image of Joy's smiling face in my mind. I really needed to think of happy thoughts because somehow the gloom and dread I felt inside was manifesting itself as bad luck.

As they say, bad things come in threes.

The first bad thing happened up on the roof.

I thought I had it all figured out. With each of my hands armed with a knife, I snuck up from behind the sniper and his spotter, aiming for that fatal spot on their backs just below their ribcage. I was able to kill the spotter with one blow, but, with the sniper, I miscalculated, stabbing him just below his shoulder blade instead.

He pulled the knife out from his back and quickly spun around to face me, armed with my favorite combat knife.

Although I could have used a gun to finish him off, there was a code of honor among us soldiers when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Thus, to be fair, I quickly pulled out the knife I stabbed his spotter with, and faced him.

I instantly regretted my decision after he took his first swipe at me, the blade of my knife missing my neck by half an inch. For a short man, he had an incredible reach.

I countered, aiming for his arm, but before my knife could touch his flesh, the bastard twirled around like a fucking ballerina.

"Come on, Grandpa," he sneered as he took off his mask. He was African-American, around five foot seven, clean shaven, with short black hair. "Show me what you got!"

*Grandpa*? My forehead furrowed, wondering why he would call me Grandpa. Sure, he was young, but not that young.

"You look confused," he smirked, before taking another swipe at me. Although I was able to jump back, the knife had touched my bulletproof vest, tearing the fabric. "See? You're slow... just like my Grandpa."

Ah, trash talk. He wanted to get me so riled up, I'd make a mistake.

I smiled. Well, let's see who he calls grandpa after I kick him in the knees and slice his throat.

But before I could execute my plan, a bullet suddenly pierced his shoulder. I glanced at my side and saw Sebastian with a gun in his hands.

I didn't hesitate. With all my might, I stabbed the sniper in between the eyes, then kicked his leg so he would fall onto the concrete.

While I gazed down into his shocked eyes, I made a mental note to disregard the code. There was no honor among mercenaries. It was all about the money for them anyway.

The second bad thing to happen was hearing about Joy's injury.

Apparently, I had made the mistake of assuming Liam could protect her.

My hands balled up into fists. *Damn it*! *I was wrong*!

That asshole must have left his bride-to-be in the middle of all the chaos. For someone so equipped at being a prick, he had no balls!

"Brother, you need to calm the fuck down," I heard Kiki say through my earpiece. "Virtue's injury... it was all pretend, so I could get her back to the complex without anyone suspecting that we had some part in the, uhm, commotion. Everything was going fine and dandy until Noah showed up and screwed up my plan!"

"This is just great. Noah is back in New Salem!" I exclaimed angrily through clenched teeth, although I was quite relieved Joy was okay. "Kiki, keep an eye on Virtue. If anything happens to her, I swear, I'll have your head!"

"It's a comfort to know that you think so fondly of me, brother," Kiki replied dryly. "I promise to keep her safe. Over and out."

"Dina, I want you to monitor the ambulance and make sure we have eyes on every inch of that hospital," I said through coms. "If you see anything out of the ordinary, you tell me. By the way, where the fuck is Liam?"

"I have him seated in the front seat of the Sheriff's patrol car," Dina answered. "They are currently headed down Main St."

"Thank you, Dina," I said before grabbing a hold of Cristos' shoulder. I was mad at him for stalling.

"What do you know about this, Chip?" I asked calmly, despite wanting to punch him in the gut for not speaking sooner. I glanced at Sebastian, expecting him to be furious too, but instead, his face was a blank. He just stood there, waiting patiently for Cristos to answer.

"Bo, I'm sorry," Cristos apologized, "but I knew you would overreact."

"That's for sure," Sebastian affirmed somewhat jokingly. I glared at him, unamused. "Bo, lighten up. Virtue is fine. You heard it from Kiki herself; it was all an act. So, Chip, what did you see?"

"Well, I saw Noah carrying Virtue through the parking lot to his truck," Cristos answered. "Luckily, Jack was there. He was the one who called for the ambulance."

*Thank God for Jack*!

"It was weird though," Cristos continued rambling on. "When I asked Jack what Noah was doing with Virtue, for some unexplainable reason, he kinda shrugged it off. Anyway, after the ambulance left, Jack and I both approached Noah from behind, while he was busy talking to someone on his phone, and we overheard him mention Pete's name."

"Did he say why he mentioned Pete's name?" I asked. Cristos nodded his head.

"Yep. Noah explained he instructed an employee of his to look for some of Pete's old drafts since he doesn't have an interior designer in his employ as of the moment."

I heard Sebastian's harsh intake of breath. Just like me, he didn't buy the whole "Pete's old drafts" alibi. "Do you actually believe that BS?" He asked. Cristos shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head.

*Well*, *if you thought about it*, *Noah's alibi was plausible*.

"Did you notice anything else?" I asked. Cristos shook his head. "Did Noah sound angry or upset when he mentioned Pete's name?"

Cristos paused, trying to remember, then he slowly shook his head. "No, he wasn't angry nor was he upset. It sounded more like he was about to ask something before Jack and I interrupted him."

*Well*, *that information wasn't helpful*.

"Thanks, Chip," I responded dryly. "As usual, you aren't much help." Cristos was about to make a rebuttal, but Sebastian raised his finger to shush him.

"Bo, quit it with the insults. What we need to do is think things through. Could it be a possibility that Noah is in contact with Pete and has been helping him all this time?" Sebastian asked. "I mean, one, they both work in construction together. Two, Noah also helps transport drugs out of the state. So, I wouldn't put it past Pete to use Noah to do some of his dirty work. Which reminds me..." He looked at his watch and frowned. "I haven't gotten an update from De Luca." It was my turn to glance at my watch.

"He's still on the freeway, Dom. He'll probably call when he meets up with Max. Don't worry, Pete's drugged and cuffed. He's going nowhere," I reminded him. "But I see your point. Noah is a man of many faces. I mean, if he can sleep with Sarah Hughes and Nicole at the same time, he is capable of anything." I raised my wrist to my lips to speak with Dina, but before I could open my mouth, her voice unexpectedly popped up through my earpiece.

"Beaufort, we have a problem," Dina informed me.

I ran my fingers through my hair in exasperation. *I knew it.* *Bad things do come in threes*.

"I was just about to ask you to give me a twenty on Noah," I said, frowning. "So, what is the problem this time?"

"To update you on Noah's location, his truck is en route to St. Elizabeth's," she answered quickly. "To answer your question, there is a certain Sarah Hughes talking to your manager. She says she really needs to speak with you."

The three of us looked at each other, stunned.

*Speak of the devil*.
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Dear readers,

I apologize for the long wait without updates. I’ve been unwell recently, which has delayed my writing. I’m in recovery now, and once I’m feeling better, I will update the story as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your patience and continued support. It means the world to me!