Free Web NovelChapter 140: Chapter 140 A lead
_Pierre’s POV_
The drive back felt longer than it actually was. My mind kept replaying the same few seconds, the mark on Theo’s wrist, the way his eyes flicked to his phone, the sudden urgency that had nothing to do with “business” and everything to do with something he didn’t want me to see.
When I walked back into the room, Alaric was already on his feet, watching me with the kind of focus that told me he’d seen at least part of what happened through the camera feed.
“Well?” he asked.
I pulled the small device off my collar and set it on the table before sitting down heavily. Ezekiel was beside me almost instantly, a glass of water pressed into my hand again, like he somehow always knew when I needed grounding. He didn’t seem like someone that rational to me, it was almost comical. Great Prince Ezekiel being kind and showing an act of service.
“Theodore is definitely hiding something,” I said. “I’m sure of that much.”
“What kind of something?” Alaric asked. I almost asked him if he wasn’t watching through the camera feed, but I understood that he was under pressure from finding the woman he loved. It was very understandable. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
I exhaled slowly, trying to organize my thoughts. “He answered every question smoothly. Too smoothly. I asked if he had a girlfriend, and he said no without even pausing. Most people hesitate at least a little when they’re lying, even good professional liars. Theo didn’t. Not even a flicker.” freewёbnoνel.com
“That could mean he’s telling the truth,” Ezekiel offered, but I knew it couldn’t be.
“Or it could mean he’s had a lot of practice,” I said. “And then there’s this mark.”
Alaric leaned forward now, his curiosity getting the better of him. “What mark?”
“There was this mating mark on his wrist. I only caught it for a second, his sleeve shifted while we were talking. It was definitely a mating mark.” I rubbed my temple, trying to push the headache back. “If that’s true, then he’s bonded to someone. And given everything, the photo, Virella, all of it, I don’t think it’s a stretch to guess who.”
The room went quiet.
“You think Theo is mated to Virella?” Alaric asked slowly, finally connecting the dot.
“I think it’s possible,” I said. “I can’t confirm it. I didn’t get a clear enough look, and he covered it up fast. But it would explain a lot. Why he wouldn’t admit to seeing anyone. Why he reacted the way he did when his phone lit up.”
“What happened with the phone?” Ezekiel asked.
“He got a message , or something through a mind-link, I think, based on the way his expression shifted for just a second. Whatever it was, it rattled him. He left right after that, claiming it was business.” I shook my head. “It wasn’t business. People don’t look like that over business. Especially someone like him. He looked like he was someone who would stay calm no matter what. But he was clearly rattled.”
Alaric crossed his arms, processing everything. “So we have a possible mate-bond to Virella, a sudden urgent message, and a man who excused himself the second things got uncomfortable.”
“That’s about the size of it,” I said.
“Did he say anything about Rowena? Anything that suggested he knew where she was, or what’s happening to her?”
I hesitated, because this was the part I genuinely wasn’t sure about. “No. Nothing. If he’s involved in her disappearance directly, he hid it perfectly. I couldn’t read anything from him that pointed to that. He talked about the orphanage, his mother, and old memories. He seemed... normal. Almost like the brother I used to know, before all the distance between us.”
“But you don’t think he’s innocent,” Alaric pointed out my thoughts.
“I think he’s hiding something,” I corrected. “Whether that something is connected to Rowena, I honestly can’t say. It could be the affair with Virella and nothing more. Or it could be something much worse.” I looked up at him. “I just don’t know yet.”
Alaric nodded slowly, turning the information over before glancing toward the tablet that had recorded the entire conversation. “We’ll review the footage again. Maybe we catch something you missed at the moment.”
“There’s also this,” Ezekiel said, and something in his tone made all of us look at him. He’d been quiet for most of the conversation, sitting near the laptop one of Alaric’s men had left open, scrolling through something while we talked.
“What is it?” Alaric asked.
“I asked one of the trackers to pull recent property records under Theodore Ashford’s name, just to see what else he owns besides the bar, the hotel, and the orphanage.” Ezekiel turned the laptop toward us. “Most of it checks out. Standard stuff. But there’s a property registered under a shell company, newly created, barely two years old. Hard to trace unless you know exactly what you’re looking for.”
“And?” I asked.
“The shell company’s registered address,” Ezekiel said, “matches a private medical facility on the outskirts of the city. Privately funded. No public records of patients, staff, or operations. It’s barely listed anywhere, I only found it because the property tax filings used the same accountant as the orphanage.”
The room went still.
“A hospital,” Alaric said slowly.
“A private one,” Ezekiel confirmed. “Off the grid. Owned, indirectly, by Theodore. Also, the company of trademark infringement, didn’t it go ghost? The company under this shell one fits that description too.”
My stomach dropped.
“You think Rowena is there?” I asked.
No one answered immediately, because no one needed to. The pieces were arranging themselves in a way none of us liked, Theo’s connection to Virella, his odd behavior, the secretive nature of the message that pulled him away tonight, and now this. A hidden facility and company tied to his name, hidden carefully enough that it almost worked.
Alaric was already moving, pulling up a map on his phone, his expression hardening into something I hadn’t seen from him before, Alaric looked dangerous at this point.
“Get the address,” he said. “Now.”
Ezekiel was already typing.
I sat there for a moment longer, my mind racing back to the conversation at the bar, If he was really involved in this, if Rowena really was being held in a place connected to him, then I’d make sure to ruin him completely. I should have known he could change overtime.
He was something else entirely.
“Pierre,” Alaric called, pulling my attention back. “We move at first light. I need you ready.”
I nodded, even though my chest felt tight with everything I didn’t want to admit.
“I’m ready,” I said.
But inside, all I could think was that somewhere in this city, behind walls no one knew to look for, Rowena might already be running out of time.
I just hope she was safe.
