Free Web NovelChapter 280: Chapter 283: Caught Sneaking Away
Kyloria wasn’t as cold as Aethelburg.
Although snow covered everything, the delicate flakes were light and thin. When Felix Preston pressed his hand firmly into a drift, the snow melted in his palm.
He tilted his head back to look at the dim yellow streetlight, and the white mist of his breath clouded his eyes with every exhale.
"Preston." Riley Chase, standing beside him, patted his shoulder. "Don’t worry so much," he said soothingly. "Since that Willow Quincy came for someone specific, Charlotte definitely won’t be harmed. Relax. We’ll definitely find her."
"...Yeah." Felix Preston responded quietly, a short, tight smile tugging at his lips. "I know. I’m not worried about Charlotte getting hurt. I’m just afraid Willow Quincy will move her somewhere else."
"Have you searched all over Misty Peak Mountain? Did you find any suspicious villas?"
"Not yet." Riley Chase frowned, pulling a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his down jacket. "All the villas on Misty Peak Mountain are private. The owners are all rich or powerful. Even if they don’t live there often, they have plenty of guards posted."
"Over the past two days, I took a few of the guys and tried our luck around the mountain, but we couldn’t get into a single villa."
"Thanks for your hard work." Felix Preston smiled at Riley Chase. As he spoke, his gaze drifted to Riley’s almost-empty cigarette pack.
"Wait a sec." He turned, walked to his car, and retrieved a brand-new, unopened carton of cigarettes from the passenger seat.
"Here, have this." He handed the carton to Riley Chase.
Riley Chase looked at him, then at the flimsy, nearly empty pack in his own hand, and immediately smiled sheepishly.
"Thanks, Preston." He didn’t stand on ceremony with Felix Preston, reaching out and taking the carton, but he didn’t keep it all.
He opened the carton, took out a few packs to give to the guys standing nearby, kept one for himself, and then handed the rest back to Felix Preston.
"Preston, we can’t smoke that many."
Felix Preston waved a hand, refusing to take it back. "I don’t smoke. I bought these for you all. You’ve done so much to help me; buying you cigarettes is the least I can do."
Riley Chase laughed. "Preston, now you’re making us sound like strangers. You and Evan Yates are tight, and we’re tight with Evan Yates, so by extension, you’re our tight friend too."
"We might not have the most respectable jobs, and our reputation isn’t great, but we’re truly loyal. Since we’re all brothers, there’s no need to talk like we’re strangers."
"Right?"
"Right!" the men behind Riley Chase answered in unison.
"Thank you all," Felix Preston said sincerely.
"Bah," Riley Chase said, scratching his head with a look of nonchalance.
"Preston, it’s getting late. You should go back to the hotel and get some rest. We’ve already booked a room for you."
Felix Preston shook his head. "No rush. I’m waiting for a friend."
"A friend?" Riley Chase thought for a moment. "Is it that friend of Charlotte’s? The one who had that whole hate-to-love thing going on?"
"Yes." Felix Preston chuckled at his description.
"Felix Preston!!"
Just as they were speaking, Renee Sinclair’s voice rang out from across the street.
Felix Preston turned at the sound of her voice and was about to wave her over when he suddenly saw two extremely familiar figures trailing behind her.
Felix Preston pushed up his glasses, squinting to get a better look. His expression suddenly changed.
"Mason Shaw... Jasper Linden!"
’What are they doing here?’
"Felix Preston!" Renee Sinclair pulled her down jacket tighter around herself. She spoke to him as she walked towards him, apparently completely unaware that Mason Shaw and Jasper Linden were also there.
"Which hotel are you staying at? Should I move my car? Parking over there seems a little far..."
"Renee Sinclair!" Felix Preston raised his voice, his tone exasperated. "Turn around and look behind you!"
"...Huh?" Renee Sinclair was stunned for a moment, then turned around in confusion.
"...AHHH!!!"
Seeing the two familiar faces that had suddenly appeared, Renee Sinclair was so startled she jumped.
"What are you guys doing here?"
Mason Shaw folded his arms, a smirk on his face as he looked at Felix Preston across the street. He said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "Brother-in-law, you’ve got some real nerve, huh? Daring to act on your own behind your big brother’s back?"
"..." Felix Preston put a hand to his forehead, not knowing how to explain.
Mason Shaw and Jasper Linden walked side-by-side, striding towards Felix Preston. "If I hadn’t happened to overhear your phone call, I never would have known you were planning to sneak off to Kyloria."
Jasper Linden picked up where he left off: "And if we hadn’t happened to run into Renee Sinclair’s car on the road, we wouldn’t have found you so quickly."
Felix Preston said, "...So, Renee Sinclair, you’re telling me you didn’t notice you were being followed this entire time?"
Renee Sinclair shook her head, a blank look on her face. "I had no idea."
"..."
Felix Preston was speechless.
"Let’s go." Jasper Linden said as he passed Renee Sinclair, giving her arm a light tug. She dazedly followed him across the street to stand in front of Felix Preston.
Mason Shaw threw an arm around Felix Preston’s shoulders, deliberately teasing him. "Brother-in-law, did you book our rooms yet? If not, looks like we’ll be sleeping on the street tonight."
"Sigh..." Felix Preston sighed, smiling with resignation. "I’m on it, I’m on it."
Jasper Linden said, "I want a deluxe room with a king-sized bed! I’ve been driving for hours, I’m dead tired."
"Deal." Felix Preston agreed readily. "King-sized beds for everyone."
"Let’s go," Mason Shaw said, yawning wearily. "It’s late. Let’s all get back to the hotel and rest. We can get together tomorrow and talk properly."
Riley Chase said, "Sounds good! But our hotel is in the other direction, so we’ll part ways here."
Jasper Linden said, "See you tomorrow, then."
Riley Chase replied, "Yep!"
The hotel where Felix Preston was staying was right behind them. The group went to the front desk, booked their rooms, and then went upstairs with their key cards, ready to rest.
Mason Shaw and Jasper Linden had followed him here in secret, and their minds were full of questions for Felix Preston.
The two of them went back to their rooms to quickly freshen up, and since there was still time, they both piled into Felix Preston’s room.
Felix Preston knew what they wanted to ask, so he had already prepared his answers. But he never expected that before he even had a chance to speak, Ethan Lockwood would suddenly give him a call.
BZZZ—
BZZZ—
The phone on the bedside table was vibrating furiously. Felix Preston leaned over to glance at it, and a curious expression immediately crossed his face.
"Who is it?" Mason Shaw asked.
Felix Preston picked up the phone and gave an enigmatic smile.
"Ethan Lockwood."
"Answer it," Jasper Linden said decisively.
Felix Preston pressed the answer key and, for good measure, switched on the speakerphone.
"Hello?" There was a smile in his voice.
"...Felix Preston." Ethan Lockwood’s voice was unsteady, laced with sheer panic.
"Let’s cut to the chase. Name your terms."
