Free Web NovelChapter 20: Escape plan
Current location—the chief police officer
I’m at the station where Cole is being held, and I’ve just threatened the detective who made the arrest last night. If you’re wondering how I got here, I had to threaten Willa as well. I don’t think she fell for it, but she drove me here.
I’m with Lunchbox, waiting to meet Cole. I’m very nervous. Will he hate me? Does he hate me? Will he hear me out?
The door opened, and the detective from last night entered the office. He dragged Cole into the room before fixing his gaze on me.
"I will only give you one hour, and it’s only because of the Notorious Four, not because of you." After saying this, he stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Once he was gone, my eyes settled on Cole.
"Cole..." I started to speak, but he interrupted me.
"I know, Ruby already explained everything to me," he said, walking over to me and embracing me. "It must have been hard living with them. I wasn’t aware I said a lot of nonsense last night."
Huh, what did Ruby tell him?
"Cole..." I called.
He disengaged the hug and settled his gaze on me. "But you should have informed me; you should have explained your situation."
What situation is he talking about?
"I... don’t understand."
"They’re holding you hostage; you work for them, but they’re refusing to let you go."
Huh? Did Ruby lie to him?
"Cole, it’s not what you think; it’s deeper than you think."
"I know. Did you bring this for me?" He took the lunchbox, and we sat down. He placed the box on the table and opened it.
"Oh, you brought the dishes I like," he chuckled.
"Yeah... I did."
"You still remember."
"Yes, I still remember your favorites."
"Ruby told me you’d be coming, so I have been waiting. I’m happy to see you," he smiled.
He is smiling? In this situation? What kind of person is he? What goes on in his head? Why is he so nice? I can’t understand.
"Are you okay?"
"Of course, they’re forcing me to give a false confession, but I won’t give in to them. They’re threatening to send me to prison, but I know they won’t do that until they get a confession. The evidence they claim they have is not enough. I was only apologizing for kissing you. The evidence is not enough."
They won’t send him to prison? He doesn’t know these people. They won’t keep him in a holding cell for long; they’ll transfer him to a correctional facility, where he’ll reside among real, hardened criminals. They’ll spend the next 48 hours trying to get a false confession from him, and even if he doesn’t give in, they’ll still send him away regardless. They might claim that the holding cell is filled up and they need room for new offenders. They’ll use that excuse to send him to real criminals.
I’ve seen it happen once. With a guy. My ex-driver. My driver made the mistake of liking me; the brothers noticed, and that was the end of the road for him.
"You should eat," I encouraged, and he obliged.
"Listen, Cole," a few minutes into it, I interrupted him.
"Yes," he said, looking at me.
"The truth is..." I sighed.
"Why? What is it?" He focused on me.
"I’m fated to the four of them. The Notorious Four. I don’t know what happened, but I have a bond with them."
"What?" The spoon slipped out of his hand and crashed to the floor, but he didn’t blink and kept his gaze on me. Seeing this, I bent down, picked up the spoon, and cleaned it before handing it to him.
"You’re... You’re not lying?"
"I’m not."
His expression turned sour, and he finally moved his gaze from me. Maybe Ruby didn’t tell him because she wanted me to do it myself. Yeah, it needs to be done. He deserves to know the truth; I can’t continue lying to him. freēwēbnovel.com
"I couldn’t write my finals because they took me away and brought me to the mansion. Ruby is right; I am like their prisoner. They track everything I do. Where I go, the time I leave, and whom I meet. Everything. They don’t even allow my family close to the mansion."
Another sigh escaped my lips, but I continued. "And we didn’t win a lottery or anything; they made my family wealthy. They did all that for us. When my mother fell ill to the point of death, they were the ones who brought in the best doctors from around the world to treat her. She was sick with a deadly disease. They also paid off my father’s debt and sent my brothers to their dream school. Everett got into med school all thanks to them; Tate will be done with high school soon."
"I’m not trying to paint them as good people; they’re not, and I hate them to some extent, but I can’t change the fact that they are my mates. I can only reject the mate bond, but I can’t change things. They are a part of my life whether I like it or not.
"As for what they did to you, I’m truly ashamed, and I apologize. I should have warned you about them in time, but I was so stupid. It’s my fault that you’re in this condition, but I don’t wish for you to remain here."
"I cooked up a plan on my way here, actually, and I want to reveal my plans to you. Will you listen to them?"
"Of... Of course, this is truly shocking. I..." He sighed. "I can understand why you acted the way you did. It all makes sense now. I wasn’t aware."
"It’s not your fault. I dragged you into this; forgive me."
"No, don’t apologize; I understand your situation too. Forgive me for not grasping the situation in time. I acted out of character because I was too excited to see you."
"Cole... You’ll be transferred to a correctional facility within the next 48 hours; you have already spent a night here. You have two more nights."
"Why... they can’t do that?" He looked at me, confused.
"They will, trust me."
"And the plan?"
"I want you to escape, and I want you to go into hiding. The brothers plan to leave you in the correctional center for a month. They have men there, hardened criminals. These criminals will become a nightmare for you. I can’t allow you to go through that. You will escape, and you will go into hiding."
"I opened a secret account and transferred money to it," I opened my purse and took out a card, then handed it to him.
"The password is the year and day you were born. Use the card while in hiding; you don’t need to worry about your siblings—they’re in good hands. You’re my friend, Cole; I can’t allow my mates to hurt you."
"And for the escape plan, I’ll speak to a police officer who will help you on that day. Just stay hidden; promise me that you’ll do as I’ve said. Please promise me."
