Watts was gone.
Elodie's expression slowly regained its composure. Lowering her gaze, she pressed her fingernails into the back
of her hand, forcing her thoughts into sharper focus.
Everything she'd just heard was nothing but Watts's word no proof, no evidence.
There was no way she'd let herself be dragged back to his country just like that. And abandoning Jarrod without
any explanation? Out of the question.
She heard the click of the lock turning outside the door.
Only after she was sure Watts had walked away did she reach deep into her pocket and pull out her hidden
phone.
It was powered on now. Apart from a flickering screen, it seemed to be working.
She moved to the window, searching for a signal.
Just one bar-weak and unreliable.
The signal kept flickering, fading in and out.
A knot of frustration tightened in her chest. She knew she couldn't afford to wait here much longer.
All she could do was put her hope in the phone.
Upstairs, Watts's mood was tangled and dark.
He poured himself a glass of whiskey, but hadn't taken a sip when his phone rang.
He glanced at the number and picked up.
A voice reported, "Mr. Aldridge, it looks like Quinn... failed."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
Watts's grip on the glass tightened abruptly.
A cold, violent edge flashed in his eyes.
He was genuinely surprised.
How could anyone survive a situation like that-caught in a perfect trap from both sides?
How did Jarrod escape?
Before he could ask, the voice on the other end delivered another bombshell.
"And one more thing, Mr. Aldridge. We dug up something interesting. We've been tracking Jarrod's international
movements. He travels a lot, which isn't odd for someone in his position. But our latest analysis shows that, for
several months, his most frequent destination has been New York City."
"What does that mean?" Watts demanded.
"It appears Jarrod has set up skind of facility in New York—a clinic specializing in embryo transfer
procedures."
Watts froze in shock, the glass halfway to his lips, his expression turning grim.
It was close to midnight by the tFleming Mercer and his team returned to their base.
Esmeralda Mercer hadn't slept a wink. At the sound of engines, she rushed outside, wrapped in a blanket.
Relief swept through her when she saw the plane land.
She knew deep down it wasn't right
to send Fleming into such a dangerous situation, but waiting for orders and backup would have. wasted precious
time. In the end, she'd had no choice but to gamble and pray for the best.
She watched anxiously as the door opened.
Spotting Jarrod stepping off the plane, Esmeralda immediately scanned the crowd behind him.
No sign of Elodie.
Her face fell. "You haven't found Elodie?"
Fleming met Esmeralda's worried
gaze. She'd always been fiercely loyal to her friends—Elodie meant so much to her, enough that she'd risk
thing.
He took off his helmet. "No."
A wave of disappointment washed over Esmeralda.
Jarrod approached, checked the
time, and tried to steady her Nerves.
Sometesol My. dubs§is she's
SRAb tin that area anymore.
Maybe it's twe rethink our
approach." The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Esmeralda blinked, caught off guard. "What are you saying?"
Fleming gestured toward the building. “Let's talk inside."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
Jarrod nodded.
He still hadn't been able to reach Elodie-no word from her, no updates from any of their contacts.
He'd started to think she might be trapped somewhere.
But after searching several possible locations with Fleming, he'd begun to form new theories.
"If she was still in a fixed area, it
wouldn't be this eg fein om
nr soem ocals on our
team," Jarrod explained. The content
is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Realization dawned on Esmeralda. "So you think she might have made it out of the danger zone?"
"That's my hope," Jarrod said. But then he hesitated.
"If she were safe, she would have
contacted HQ by nop ynehonkes
Te thinkisae's Bi uble again." His
brow furrowed, eyes dark with worry.