"We are running out of ti; we will move as soon as you move." Arthur had called so of his trusted n, including the Miller brothers and two others.
anwhile, Desgar would take Elric and Alen. Soone else would stay with Laurel for the anti, as Desgar needed his trusted n to move.
Arthur would handle the matter with Issabella, while Desgar would shadow Hazel. They had put a tracker on Hazel and all other necessary precautions.
"Okay." Hazel put on her earpiece, then attached a knife to her shoes. She didn’t bring a gun, since it would be useless if they checked her. A gun would be easier to detect.
But before Hazel left, Ares and Lucian ca to the apartnt.
"What are you two doing here?" Hazel furrowed her brows.
"Where is Ranon? I called him countless tis, but he didn’t pick up his phone." Lucian started with his complaint before he realized the tension in the room. "What’s going on? Did I miss sothing?"
Elric put his arm around his shoulder. "You missed a lot of things." Lucian and Ares were then briefed about what was going on, and they were asked to stay away from this. "In the anti, you can’t be in contact with Ranon."
"Are you sure it has been Daniel all this ti?" Ares was in disbelief. "There must be a mistake sowhere."
"No, Daniel has admitted it," Elric replied.
Hazel didn’t hear the rest of their conversation because she had already left the room and approached Ashlyn, who was with Renna. She sent Peni ho early because she didn’t want her to know more than necessary.
anwhile, Renna knew there was sothing big that was going on, but she was tactful enough not to ask too many questions and kept it to herself.
"Mama, play with Ash..." Ashlyn took her stuffed bunny and gave it to Hazel.
"I am sorry, baby. I need to leave. Mama will play with you later, okay?" Hazel caressed Ashlyn’s chubby cheeks. Her daughter would turn two in four months.
Hazel couldn’t believe ti really flew by. It had been years since the first ti she occupied this body and gave birth to this bundle of joy.
She had never thought she would have a child on her own, knowing River’s body condition. But then, it was a bliss in disguise.
At this point, she didn’t regret dying in River’s body so she could be reborn and have this beautiful family.
"No, Mama, don’t leave." Ashlyn clutched her mother’s shirt in front. Her little hands were close to her heart, and Hazel could feel the child’s warmth.
It brought a smile to her lips to think soone didn’t want her to leave; there was soone who always wanted to be close to her. Soone who needed her and would love her regardless.
It still amazed Hazel that no matter what Ashlyn was doing, she would love her unconditionally. She would even kill for her if she had to.
She understood what Logan was feeling at this mont. If it were Ashlyn, she wouldn’t be able to think clearly either.
"I will bring a new stuffed bunny when I return; how is that?" Hazel bargained with her daughter.
Hearing that, Ashlyn lifted her head and stared at her mother with her doe-like eyes. People said Ashlyn took after her eyes, but for Hazel, her daughters’ eyes were way more beautiful.
"Okay." It was easy to bargain with her. "Two." She raised two of her fingers.
"Okay. Two."
From the corner of Hazel’s eyes, she saw Logan enter the room, but he didn’t venture further; he only stood next to the door.
"Okay, I will leave now. Be good to Renna." Hazel kissed both of her cheeks, but before she stood up, Ashlyn tugged at her hand and then stuck two stickers on her wrist.
Hazel saw the stickers on her wrist; they were two red hearts.
"Mama, kiss..."
"I have kissed you before."
"Kiss."
Hazel had no other choice but to kiss her again. She peppered kisses all over her small face, inciting giggling sounds from the little girl.
"Be good." Hazel patted Ashlyn’s head and gave the stuffed bunny back to her arms, but she slid sothing into Ashlyn’s dress pocket. She zipped the pocket very subtly so Ashlyn wouldn’t be curious and open it.
When Hazel walked out of the room, Logan followed her.
"Are you sure you are going to do this?" Logan asked when they were alone, walking toward the elevator.
"Do you want to do it and save your son or not?" Hazel furrowed her brows; she was being impatient now.
"Okay, I am sorry, Hazel. I have to get you involved in this."
Hazel sighed. "I should be the one who said that."
Logan felt awkward before he apologized again. "I am sorry."
"You should thank , not apologize to ." Hazel then entered the elevator. "I will see you again when I have Archie with ." She then added in a stern voice. "Don’t do anything stupid, Logan."
And then the elevator doors closed in.
***
"You will not get her, Ranon." Daniel looked at his brother as he put the cold towel against the bump on his head. "Even if you do, it will be too late."
Ranon tuned him out as he stared at his phone screen and watched the red dot on his phone. There was sothing wrong. They said Hazel had left, but her tracker said that she was still in the house.
Sothing was not right, and he made a call to Elric, but it was Lucian who picked up the phone. "Why are you there?"
"Because you ditched the office again. I am going to bury you with more work after this, Ranon."
Ranon was not in the mood to listen to Lucian’s yapping. Daniel was doing the sa here, because he ignored him. "Put Elric on the phone, and you go back ho."
"I am not your child, so don’t tell to go back ho. Elric is busy right now. What do you want to ask him? Ask ; I know what you guys are doing. I am in."
Ranon closed his eyes to check his temper, because Lucian could get on your nerves pretty easily. "Where is Hazel?"
"She is entering a coffee shop as we are speaking, talking to a barista and receiving an envelope. Whoever is doing this is very annoying; these people can’t be straightforward."
"Are you sure you see her?"
"Yes, Ranon. Unless she has a twin, then yes, I am seeing your wife," Lucian replied. "What’s going on?"
Ranon checked the tracker again, and it was still in the sa position. Did she leave her rings at ho? That was the only reason that Ranon could think of, but Hazel had never left her rings before, no matter what she was doing.
"Nothing. I will call you again later." And with that, Ranon hung up the phone call and focused on Daniel.
However, his mind went back to Hazel. He couldn’t be at ease when he couldn’t track her down.
***
Hazel sensed that sothing was off. She had spent the entire afternoon and evening wandering through the city, following the clues provided to her.
But every ti she reached a location, she received more clues to help her find another place. By this ti, she had reached her seventh location, but she still received instructions to find a different place.
"This is not right." Hazel tried to think about what she missed, because the kidnapper didn’t seem to want to et her.
Their only aim was to confuse her, but why?
What is Gayle Lennox planning to do? Hazel was in a brothel now. She was hungry and angry because she had to follow these ridiculous instructions.
She was not being impatient, but there was sothing that was completely not right. But what was that? Hazel looked at her watch; it was close to ten. She caught sight of two stickers that Ashlyn put on her this morning, and a small smile appeared on the corner of her lips.
Hazel then pulled her phone and opened the map of the city. She marked the spot that she had visited as per the instruction that she received.
As expected, she was going in a circle. These people only wanted to keep her away. But away from what?
***
Ranon received a phone call from Arthur. He inford him that he managed to get Issabella out of the ntal institution, but he lost one of his n due to the confrontation with the Denvers.
"Fuck them all! River should have wiped them all out when she had a chance!" Arthur was pissed off.
However, Ranon didn’t want to hear his moaning and grumbling.
"Bring her here now," Ranon said before he hung up the call and focused on Daniel again. His brother tried to act cool, but he heard the conversation, and he knew that Ranon managed to get his hand on Issabella. "So, you expected to co and get her. Clever."
That was why Daniel was very confident that Ranon wouldn’t get Issabella. Unfortunately, he underestimated the force that Ranon had.
"The Lozens had destroyed the Denvers once. Arthur will be more than willing to do it again, especially since he lost his n in this skirmish."
Ranon absentmindedly opened his tracker again, out of habit, though he knew Hazel left her rings at ho, while Daniel was cursing at him.
And the dot was moving...
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