Maxwell’s eyes peered at the man intently.
"Molinda Langford told you herself?"
Colton swallowed before slowly shaking his head.
"I didn’t need her to. Her body language told everything."
Maxwell raised a brow but said nothing.
Truthfully, he was curious about one thing. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Lois, but he needed to be sure.
So he’d personally had Kelsie’s DNA run against his own. The result ca back... negative.
Naturally, he didn’t care what the man had to say, but if he brought it up now, it likely was worth his ti.
"Go on."
To this, Colton shook his head again.
"No. I need you to make a promise first. You don’t owe anything, so I know there’ll be nothing stopping you from throwing out once I tell you what you want. So give your word."
Maxwell thinned his lips and leaned back. He was silent for a while before he humd, "I give you my word."
Only then did Colton exhale in relief.
He tugged at his sleeve and rolled it up past his wrist. Then he leaned forward, pointing at a red spot on his skin.
"This is a needle mark from when Molly took blood from . She never said why, but I’m certain it had to do with Kelsie."
His voice hardened. "No, I know for a fact it did. I just don’t know what she used my blood for."
Maxwell froze.
"When was this?"
Colton thought for a mont before uttering, "Uh... about two weeks ago."
Maxwell’s eyes dimd. Two weeks ago.
That was the exact ti he did the lab results. He’d been ticulous, carefully handling everything himself to ensure nothing would be tampered with.
How could Molly have...
The thought had just settled in when he recalled Molly had once been a nurse.
Other hospitals didn’t keep strict records of nurses who resigned from other places, and with her old credentials, flashing an ID would’ve given her easy access to a lab.
That was it. He had been everywhere but the laboratory. All she needed to do was walk in and swap out one of the samples.
If she went to such lengths, then did that an...
"Book the next flight out of Lioren."
The butler nodded, quickly pulling out his phone.
But monts later, he turned back to Maxwell, his expression sullen.
"Robert Figueroa has temporarily closed the airport. No one leaves, but people can co in. Even private planes can’t file flight plans until Emily Hughes is found."
The usually composed Maxwell gritted his teeth and tugged impatiently at his tie. "That bastard doesn’t know his place."
At that, the butler’s eyes flicked toward Colton. The man imdiately scoffed.
"What? You can’t be taking that crook’s word for it when I’ve been with you for the past two days. How could I have taken her while locked up?"
The butler scoffed. "Your Colton family is determined to marry you into the Langfords. If you didn’t take her, then your family likely did to corner Kelsie."
Colton was rendered speechless knowing that wasn’t entirely impossible.
His grandfather had demanded he return only if he married Kelsie. If word of his failure had reached them, they might have decided to intervene themselves.
Everyone knew who Emily Hughes was. If the rumors were that she had raised Lois Fletcher’s child all these years were true, then resentnt from the other families would be inevitable.
And they might storm the house themselves to take...
Amidst thinking, his eyes bulged in realization. "That’s what this is about!"
Maxwell and the butler’s eyes snapped toward him. "What?"
"Robert Figueroa doesn’t care about finding Emily. He’s using this to rally the families against the Reeds." Colton retorted, his eyes widening in conviction.
Maxwell remained silent.
"Master Kensington, please. Help . Otherwise, they’ll burn my Reed family to the ground and I’m certain they don’t have her."
Despite his pleading, Maxwell did not budge, though his eyes glead with thought.
"Joshua." He called out to the butler, his eyes still staring into nothing, "I need you to do sothing."
At the sound of his true na, the butler stiffened, his back straightening and eyes sharpening with determination.
Maxwell never used his na unless he needed him to do sothing very important.
He tapped the driver, prompting him to reverse into another route.
Eventually, the car rolled to a stop and the butler stepped out.
Standing outside with his eyes lowered, the butler questioned, "Is there a specific order regarding this person?"
"Only the one who needs help should be helped."
"Understood, Master."
Colton watched in confusion as the butler closed the door and stepped back, but he said said nothing.
Thirty minutes later, the car halted before the Reed estate.
Seeing the mob rallying outside his family’s house, Colton almost bolted out of the car but stopped when Robert Figueroa’s words to Maxwell echoed in his mind.
Swallowing, he looked outside the window, trembling slightly at the sound of the mob’s angry shouts.
The security guards outside now had bloody lips, scratched faces, and torn uniforms, but they still held the line.
But Colton suddenly narrowed his eyes at them.
"Master Kensington, that isn’t my Reed family’s security."
"Burn the Reed family house! Burn the Reed family house!" The crowd suddenly began chanting in unison, reaching through the estate and into the ears of the terrified family huddled within the house.
Inside, Robert Figueroa paced the living room, swinging his Glock around as he glared at the Reeds crouched on the floor.
After a while, one of his n approached him with the report, "Sir, we’ve brought her in. What do we do with her now?"
Fastening the Glock around his waist, Robert paused and turned to him, "Tie her up loosely in the basent. Make it just enough for her to break free and run into the waiting arms of the crowd outside."
With a nod, the man nodded and headed into the house again.
anwhile, at a nearby airport, two figures slipped out wearing caps low over their faces.
One carried a duffel bag while the other trailed behind, complaining nonstop.
"Next ti, make good use of your talent and hack into a bank not into the flight list of an airport."
Raising her eyes, Kelsie leered at Molly.
"You’re the reason Emily has been kidnapped. Stop complaining and flag down a taxi or I’ll kick you into the road."
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