Free Web NovelChapter 300: Unfavorable Conditions
Little Mary...
This was Scott and Nadia’s favorite cafe for those rare evening dates when they were alone.
Nadia took a sip of her Spanish latte as she texted a few people on her phone. After a moment, she felt like there were eyes on her and glanced up only to see Scott was staring right at her.
"Uhm... what’s wrong?"
She asked with a tilted head.
Scott sipped his tea with an easy smile.
"Nothing. Just thinking you look cute with your hair tied up like that, yunno."
Nadia’s face instantly turned a delicate shade of pink.
She looked down to hide her strawberry smile.
"Well... I’m glad you noticed it."
On the inside, her mind was screaming with joy over the compliment on her new look. But on the outside, she managed to maintain her composure, calmly slurping her latte as if this kind of praise was just a normal occurrence for someone with her beauty.
Scott looked around the outdoor patio.
"Hmm."
"Are you still waiting for your friend?"
Nadia asked, setting her cup down.
Scott nodded.
While they were out here for a little date, he’d also told Judy to meet him at the cafe so they could talk. He wanted to see if the journalist had any dirt on Vincent... something he could use to force the man to confess to working with the Hero Agency to throw Maya under the bus. Digging up dirt on someone with connections like Vincent wasn’t going to be easy, but he could at least trust an investigative journalist like Judy to get the job done.
Plus, getting her to help would be much easier since she already knew his secret identity.
『Hmph. Piece of cake...』 (－ˋ⩊ˊ－)
Nadia was about to take another slurp of her latte when her eyes caught a figure approaching.
"Oh. It’s her."
Scott turned around to look, and his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise.
Judy was dressed in a pretty dress... the kind of outfit he didn’t even think a woman like her owned. Since she was always chasing her next big story, he’d never actually seen her in anything other than her standard work clothes or random, practical casual wear.
"Erm..."
This was entirely new.
"Is she... going to a ball?"
Scott couldn’t stop staring.
How did the dress hold her boobs up like that?
Educative. Very educative, indeed.
Judy finally spotted him under the large umbrella next to Little Mary. A wonderfully bright smile germinated on her face as she hurried over. Anyone who looked at her in that moment could tell just how genuinely happy she was for whatever reason.
Nadia glanced at Scott.
"Is it possible Judy thought this was a date?"
Scott chuckled quickly, waving his hand.
"No, no, of course not, no..."
The more he repeated the words, the less he actually believed them.
"Oh no..."
He pushed out a defeated sigh.
Nadia held back a laugh, silently continuing to slurp her latte through the straw.
"Sorry I wasted so much time!"
Judy said breathlessly as she finally reached their table.
Her face looked so beautiful.
She was practically glowing.
"Had to get my hair done and put some makeup on... not that I always wear makeup, but since it’s a special day, I thought, why not? Tee-hee!"
Scott could see the pure joy radiating from her.
It made him feel terrible.
He didn’t even know how to explain to her that this wasn’t what she thought it was.
"Uhm... Judy..." Scott called out awkwardly.
Judy tilted her head, her smile wide. "Mhm?!"
"You... didn’t think this was a date, did you?"
"Eh?"
The happiness left her face and now all that’s left was just deep embarrassment.
That’s when she saw Nadia quietly sipping her drink.
Has she always been there?
Judy got so excited she didn’t notice her.
"Oh... you brought Nadia..."
Nadia instantly felt terrible.
She gave a small nod like a guilty little rodent and looked away, trying to make herself as small as possible. The mood at the table became so uncomfortably awkward that Nadia genuinely felt like she would choke on her latte if she tried to speak.
Judy lowered her head and tightened her fists.
"It was Nadia you were taking on a date... not me."
She felt so stupid. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"I should’ve known. Of course..."
She clutched her purse tightly.
Scott panicked, leaning forward.
"Hey, I can still take you on one if you want! I just wanted us to talk a bit about some info I need from you, but we can totally forget about that for now! We can go to a theme park, whatever you want!"
Judy gnashed her teeth hard.
She looked so angry it made both Scott and Nadia scoot their chairs away from her.
"Are you... mad?"
Scott asked awkwardly.
"I’M NOT MAD!"
Judy screamed back loudly.
"You’re not the only man in the world, McQueen! Don’t think you’re so damn special that every single woman is dying to go out with you! I only wore these stupid clothes because I have to attend a gala later today, that’s all!"
A tired Scott rubbed his temples.
"So... can we talk about the dirt on—" (ᵕ—_—)
"SCREW YOU!"
"Fairs."
Scott didn’t argue one bit.
Judy stormed off on her red heels.
Scott stared down at his half-empty teacup.
"Just my luck..."
Nadia smiled softly at him, reaching over to gently adjust some of the messy hair around his ears to give him a better look. Scott raised his head a little to meet her gaze and noticed that her tender cheeks had puffed up like a balloon from swallowing too much latte at once.
"You look like a chipmunk."
"Pfft—"
Nadia tried her best to hold back her laugh, but the sudden burst of amusement caused her to accidentally splash a mouthful of latte right into his face.
Scott stuck out his tongue and smiled.
Soon, they’re both laughing together at the table.
Judy watched this from her car across the street.
She went back to staring blankly ahead in her seat.
"I was being stupid... obviously it wasn’t a date."
She reached out to grab the steering wheel to start the ignition, but sudden misery hit her.
Her head slumped heavily against the wheel as a pathetic groan escaped her lips.
So many of her cousins were already happily married and she hadn’t even been in a relationship yet. She could practically hear her mother somewhere in the city, complaining about how Judy was going to die alone with twelve cats and zero kids.
Judy groaned even louder.
"It’s not my fault, mom... men are just so difficult."
...
Back at Ashgate Penitentiary.
Maya was sitting on her narrow cot, reading a book with a smile on her face. She didn’t know exactly what Scott had done, but early this morning, the guards had informed her that they had to find a new driver to handle her transport to the supermax facility. That meant she was staying right here in the penitentiary for the time being.
『Does this mean Scott still likes me again?』
Her heart fluttered.
『I don’t want to get my hopes up, but...』
She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Overwhelmed with sudden excitement, she hid her face behind the pages of her book and started kicking her legs wildly under the blanket as she giggled like a little girl.
Her cell door slid open.
An officer stood in the doorway, looking down at her.
"Someone wants to see you."
"Eh?"
Maya quickly composed herself, trying to hide the small smile on her face. She was certain it was Scott, probably coming back to gloat about how he had managed to save her. Her cheeks were already turning red just thinking about it. She usually hated whenever he gloated over winning an argument or correcting her, but they hadn’t had any real banter in such a long time.
『That jerk’s waiting!』 (˶˃⤙˂˶)
She was actually looking forward to it.
Pressing her hand tightly against her chest, she felt her heart racing. It felt exactly the way it used to when they first started dating. Hurrying up from her bed, she quickly followed the officer down the hall.
Strangely, they walked right past the door to the non-contact visiting room. Maya’s smile faltered as she realized they were heading somewhere else.
Now she’s worried.
The guard opened the door to a questioning room.
Maya walked in and froze.
Sitting on the other side of the metal table was a grinning Vincent Lakewood.
Maya slowly took a seat across from him.
Vincent leaned forward.
"I know about your little stunt, Maya. Ted Buffernickle getting arrested a day before your transport to supermax isn’t a coincidence."
Maya kept her expression neutral.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Vincent smiled darkly.
"I don’t know exactly how you managed it, but I’m going to guess Scott McQueen had a hand in it. I got word from the officers here that you had a very cozy visit from him yesterday... is that right?"
Maya didn’t utter a single word.
She squeezed her little face into a tight frown and looked away, refusing to look at him.
Vincent managed to keep his cool.
"Okay, well... hopefully he’ll send you a nice postcard today before you get settled, hm?"
Maya raised an eyebrow.
"What does that mean?"
"I happen to be very good friends with Metro City’s District Attorney. I was able to get the new transfer papers approved and signed fast. So you’re being transferred to Ashgate Supermax in an hour."
"An hour?" Maya choked out. "That... that’s insane!"
A breathless chuckle escaped her lips.
But it wasn’t because she found it funny.
She was genuinely losing her mind from how terrifying the realization was.
Vincent calmly adjusted the knot of his tie.
"The guards are already packing up whatever’s left of your belongings. You can use this remaining time to call anyone you want, because you won’t be seeing them for a very long time. After all, supermax is a quite structured environment. Twenty-three hours a day in a metal cell, under constant supervision."
Tears began to well up in Maya’s big purple eyes.
She shook her head desperately.
"You can’t do that—"
"I CAN!"
Vincent roared as he slammed his fist on the table.
The sudden outburst made Maya flinch and her entire body trembled with fear. Before she could recover, Vincent lunged across the table, grabbing her roughly by the Inhibitor Collar locked around her neck. He pulled her forward until their faces were inches apart.
"Enjoy your last hours here, because you are never going to see the light of day again. You better hope Chairman Lymtos doesn’t even remember your name, or you’ll die in that hole and no one will give a shit. I’m disappointed. All you had to do was obey me, and you’d have had a future in Priority Solutions and Sage as the face of heroes! But you chose to spit on everything I sacrificed for you by streaming with that psycho Nightwatch!"
He threw her back into her seat with a harsh push and coldly exited the room.
The room felt like a mortuary.
And perhaps it was... because Maya was dead inside.
She buried her face into her palms and cried.
"Why is this happening to me?"
...
Meanwhile, out on the city streets.
Scott and Nadia were carrying a paper takeout bag filled with coffee for the others back home, taking a casual stroll down the sidewalk.
"Nadia, I’m pretty sure it’s Pentazocine."
"And I’m telling you it’s not, dude."
"It definitely is."
"NOT."
"Wait..."
Then it hit Scott right in the face.
"Ohh."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just forgot the name, that’s all. I’m usually really good at pharmacology otherwise."
Nadia giggled, giving him a playful nudge.
"I studied it for four years, Scott. If I got it wrong, I’d be kicking myself in the ass."
Scott gave her a sly side-eye.
"That’d be a lot to kick, though."
He reached over and playfully grabbed her ass right from under her denim jacket.
"EEK!" (⸝⸝0⸝⸝0⸝⸝)
Nadia’s entire body jerked upright as a high-pitched squeak escaped her.
Her face instantly flushed a burning red.
She swatted at his hand, looking around frantically.
"Why would you do that out here?!"
"It’s not wrong, is it?"
"Well..."
Her face reddened even more as she darted her eyes from side to side.
She had to make sure no one was watching them.
"I get shy, yunno~"
Scott smiled gently as he slowed his pace.
"Oh, relax—"
Suddenly, his phone was ringing.
Scott pulled it out and answered, but before he could even say hello, Maya’s desperate, sobbing voice pierced through the receiver.
"Scott! Scott, please, I’m in serious trouble! Vincent just pushed up the date of the transfer! They’re taking me to supermax in a few minutes! Please—"
Scott’s entire body froze.
"That’s not possible... he... he couldn’t have...
"
"Please, Scott! I’m begging you!"
Maya cried hysterically over the line.
Scott cut the call.
He immediately turned and handed the paper takeout bag to Nadia.
"Nadia, I have to—"
Nadia placed a reassuring hand firmly on his chest.
"I understand. Just go."
Scott didn’t waste a single second.
He quickly found a taxi and ordered it to take the quickest way to Ashgate Penitentiary.
Shortly after, the stopped outside the prison gates.
"WHAT—?!"
Scott was shocked by the scene.
A federal agent and several heavily armed officers were already leading a Maya who was in heavy cuffs toward the back of a large, armored transport truck.
"What’s going on?!"
Scott yelled as he ran wildly toward them.
The leading federal agent stepped in his path and held up an official document to block him.
"Stand back, citizen. I’m taking charge of this prisoner. This is a federal judge’s warrant transferring custody of Maya Rivera to our jurisdiction."
The officers roughly pushed Maya forward toward the steps of the vehicle.
Spotting him, Maya turned her head.
Her eyes were full of tears.
"Scott! Don’t let them take me! Please!"
"Maya!"
Scott lunged forward to break past the line, but the federal agent stepped in and shoved him back. Infuriated, Scott lunged again, grabbing the agent’s wrist and twisting it with enough force to make the man grunt in pain.
"Get off him!"
Before Scott could break through, four officers rushed out of nowhere and tackled him from behind. They pinned his arms and threw their weight into him to hold him back.
"Scott! Please! No!"
Maya screamed with a cracking voice as she was forced up the steps of the transport.
Scott tried his hardest to break free from the grip of the cops holding him down.
"Let her go! Wait!"
The federal agent adjusted his jacket and glanced down with a face of pity.
"If you were a few minutes earlier, maybe you’d have had the chance to talk to her. I’m sorry to say this, kid... but whoever managed to get an eighteen-year-old girl transferred to supermax is probably the devil himself."
He slammed armored doors shut right in Scott’s face.
[Ding! Host has failed the mission!]
Scott gritted his teeth as he watched the armored transport truck drive away.
Later that day.
A luxury Brabus G-Wagon pulled up to the curb outside Ashgate Penitentiary. The door flew open, and Emma rushed out of the SUV and sprinted toward the prison’s outdoor waiting area.
There, sitting on a concrete bench, was Scott.
His hands were bound in handcuffs.
"Scott!"
Emma hurried over to him.
She immediately dropped to her knees and cupped his pallid cheeks in her soft, warm hands.
"Are you okay?! What happened to you?!"
Scott didn’t answer. His face looked pale, and his eyes were lifeless as he stared blankly at the ground.
The police officer standing guard next to the bench raised an eyebrow at Emma.
"Are you his aunt?"
"Eh?"
Emma’s face turned into an irritated scowl.
『I don’t even look that old! What the fuck kind of question is that, dammit!』 (╬ Ò﹏Ó)
She suppressed her inner rage and forced out a sweet smile as she looked at the officer.
"Yes. I am."
The guard nodded and unlocked the cuffs.
Emma pulled Scott up by his arm and led him to the vehicle while continuing to check him over.
"Are you okay? Talk to me, please."
"I’m just tired..."
There was no life in Scott’s voice.
It was a thoroughly hollow one.
They climbed into the spacious SUV, but Emma couldn’t bring herself to start the ignition. Not when her boyfriend looked so utterly downtrodden and broken.
She turned in her seat.
"Are you really okay? Can you please just talk to me about what’s going on? Yesterday you were out on your own for a long time, and today you’re in handcuffs? C’mon, babe."
She leaned in closer and kissed his lips gently. When he didn’t respond, she gave him another soft kiss, and then another one, desperately trying to bring some warmth back into him and get romantic. But Scott gently turned his head away and stared silently out of his side of the SUV window at the bleak city.
Emma’s heart sank.
"I guess it’s pointless..."
She started the car and drove off.
Back on the sidewalk, the two officers watched the luxury G-Wagon disappear down the street.
"Were those two kissing?"
"Uh-huh..."
"You sure that’s his aunt?"
"Maybe they’re from Alabama?"
