Page 86 of Her Faithful Protector

“He sees Quinton as his own son and will never give him up!”

“Lies! Quinton is my son!” Willem exclaims, angrily striking the table with his fist, his eyes filled with rage. “I will do whatever it takes to reclaim him. I will love him and ensure he grows up knowing that his mother abandoned him when he was just a baby!”

So this is his revenge—he has found a way to hurt me, not only by taking away my son but also by accusing me of abandonment.

“You will never succeed, even if you kill me,” I counter.

“Leave the logistics to me, my dear. I can assure you, Ialways get what I want. I’ve learned this not because I was privileged but because I started from nothing. A loss makes a man stronger, but a betrayal can turn one into an invincible being.”

“Quinton will forever remember Jack as his father!”

Willem gives a nod to the bearded man, and he slaps me.

I scoff. “You don’t wanna get your hands dirty now? You’re an even bigger coward!”

Willem observes his own hands. “Hitting you doesn’t give me the same thrill as it used to.”

“So reality has finally caught up with you, darling,” I mock. “Now you know what defines a man. You realize you’re not as great as you believe yourself to be.” I don’t even need to mention Jack’s name for him to understand the implication.

“Do not idolize Jack Kelleher! Yes, he’s strong. His past made him so—as I said, loss makes a man stronger. But he’s not invincible. You will see. In a battle between brain and brawn, brain always wins.” He then forcefully grabs hold of my hand, his grip tightening around my ring finger.

He then declares with malice, “That Marine threatened to chop my fingers if I ever came near you again.”

“Willem, no!” I exert all my strength to remove my finger, but his grasp is as strong as an eagle’s talon.

“Let him suffer the repercussions of his own threat. Since I’m not going to marry you, no one will ever put a ring on this finger.”

In one swift motion, the bearded man swings his knife. The metallic glint of the blade catches my eye just before my vision blurs into a sea of crimson.

32

JACK

Willem took Ava not because he wanted her back but because he wanted me to witness his power. Then he’ll destroy me, and perhaps her too. He’d failed to lure me with the information about my kidnapper, and now he’s taken the only woman that matters to me. I will end him today.

I haven’t heard from him. I’m sure his invitation will come, and I won’t give him any more time to prepare. I want to arrive on my terms.

The arrogant man wasn’t joking when he had lunch with Los Angeles’ lieutenant governor and told him that W-Bot’s new headquarters would be fitted with technology so advanced that hacking the AT&T network would be child’s play. He was planning something big in that building. It’s his pride, and it’s where he wants to show me his might and his control over Ava for one last time. Besides, the unfinished nature of the premises will help his cause, providing him with many hiding places.

Tyler and I arrive at the complex just before sunset. It’s quiet, a stark contrast with how it was when I first surveyed it. Ava told me construction used to be going on nonstop. Now,there isn’t even lighting in here. The cranes and heavy machinery are gone, leaving only scaffolding with messy netting and mud on the ground.

Tyler scans the width of the site, commenting, “Some office!”

“It would’ve been thirty stories tall if it had been finished.” I gaze up. Currently, it has barely reached four or five floors.

Wearing ballistic vests and carrying light packs, we navigate our way over the construction fencing and pick a spot right by one of the mounted cameras.

Tyler takes out a can of spray paint from his pack and covers the camera with it, then we wait.

The complex has been seized, and I’m unsure how much of its security features are still working or if they’re being monitored 24/7. If someone notices one of the cameras has gone black, movement should start soon. But for now, it stays quiet.

We run across the field to reach a chained gate into the building, which I break with a bolt cutter to enter.

“Sam, we’re in,” I alert my brother. “If you don’t hear from us in two hours, bring in the LAPD.”

Tyler lifts his gaze, remarking, “There’s not much to see up there.”

He’s right. Above ground, the building is nothing but a shell. However, Ava had told me how important the basement was.

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