Chapter 671 You Handle It Yourself
A few minutes later, Austin came back with a summer jacket and draped it over Winona's shoulders. It was his jacket, oversized and long enough to cover her hips.
Winona adjusted the collar and asked, "How did you and Matthew know we were there?"
The warehouse had felt old and abandoned, but once they left, she realized it was truly remote, in the middle of nowhere. Even if someone passed by, they wouldn't have bothered to look inside.
Austin nodded towards Zachary, who was lying in the emergency room. "Ask him when he wakes up. He'll probably need to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. I'll check with the doctor about getting a private room."
Winona looked at him, puzzled. Since when did he care so much about Zachary, even worrying about what kind of room he stayed in?
But she didn't have the energy to ask more questions. Zachary had been inside for a while, and she was anxious about his condition, wondering if his head still hurt.
The door opened, and the doctor came out. "The patient has minor internal bleeding and various external injuries. He needs to be hospitalized for a few days for observation. As for the headache, he was already unconscious when he arrived, but the tests don't show any major issues."
Austin said, "You stay with him. I'll handle the paperwork."
After the paperwork was done, Zachary was moved to a private room, just as Austin had arranged.
With Zachary stable for now, Winona finally felt relaxed enough to joke, "When did you two become so close?"
It was already morning, and Austin was sitting with his legs crossed, eating breakfast. He glanced at Zachary, who was still asleep, and his eyes gleamed with mischief. "No one's around. Feel free to give him a piece of your mind."
Winona couldn't help but laugh.
Richard rushed in, "Mrs. Bailey, how is Mr. Bailey?"
Zachary woke up when the doctor came to check on him. The first thing he did was look around for Winona, who was discussing his condition with the doctor.
He stared at her back, and when she finished talking, he carefully reached for her hand. "Winona, I'm okay."
Winona gave him a cold look. "Tell me, what happened?"
Zachary explained, "I couldn't find out Alton's current identity or whereabouts."
He had returned to the country discreetly, only appearing in front of Lydia twice. The rest of the time, he stayed hidden.
Despite their efforts, they found no leads or information. In a society full of surveillance, this was nearly impossible unless he never left his house or had someone covering his tracks.
Then, Alton called him for a meeting. Zachary saw it as an opportunity to bring the elusive rat out into the open.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. Alton's condition was that he wanted shares in the Bailey Group. I didn't expect his target to be you. Rebecca told me that Maeve sent you a message about me attending a party with her, trying to cause a misunderstanding. That's when I realized his target might be you."
"So you knew he was gonna kidnap you and went along as bait?" Winona's voice was icy, and she gripped her phone tightly, ready to throw it at Zachary's head if he admitted it.
It was so dangerous!
Last time, when they caught Timothy, it was only because the police noticed something odd in the bushes and found him.
If he dared to do this again, she wouldn't forgive him for all the tears she shed.
"No," Zachary quickly denied. "We considered that possibility while planning and made some arrangements. I didn't intentionally go as bait. I value my life."
Winona snorted, but her anger seemed to lessen, and her expression softened. "You value your life, but why didn't you listen when I told you to leave?"
Zachary was about to speak when she interrupted, "Don't try to fool me. I asked the kidnappers. They didn't plan to take you. You insisted on getting the sedative and drugging yourself to get in the car."
Zachary rolled up his sleeve to show her a scar on his wrist, still red from recent stitches. "With me there, Samuel and the others could find you."
He had thought more about not leaving Winona alone. With him there, he could protect her as much as possible.
Even if he couldn't, he could buy her some time to escape. After they escaped, seeing the remote, desolate place, Zachary felt only relief that he had been with her.
Winona asked, "When did you get hurt?"
Given Zachary's tendency to seek her concern, it was unusual for him to have an injury and stitches without mentioning it.
"It's not an injury. I had surgery to implant a subcutaneous tracking chip."
Winona was silent.
Seeing her quiet, Zachary panicked. "Winona, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. I was afraid you'd act differently and raise suspicion. I really didn't expect them to target you."
Alton had managed to keep his identity hidden for so long, he must be very cautious.
"Fine, I'll let this go. But what about your health? You can't seriously say your headaches are just from lack of sleep."
Zachary pressed his lips together, silent.
Winona was so angry she wanted to hit him, her eyes reddening. "If you keep hiding things, you can live on your own. You don't need a wife. Everyone else is just a hindrance to you."
Even in her extreme anger, Winona's deep-seated manners kept her from cursing him. She just glared at him furiously.
Hearing her talk about breaking up, Zachary panicked and scrambled out of bed, grabbing her hand. "Winona, don't break up. My headaches are a side effect of previous hypnosis. I've been to the hospital and I'm taking medication."
The voice that spoke wasn't Winona's, but Austin's. He met Zachary's murderous glare with a casual apology, "Sorry, I ate too much. You two should tone it down; there are still people around."
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