novelsmap Chapter 185: A few questions.
Chapter 185: A few questions.
The farther Elara followed them, the less traffic there was. The busy streets slowly disappeared behind her leaving only long stretches of road and the occasional passing vehicle. Then, before she realized it, the car she had been following vanished from sight completely.
Elara’s brows immediately furrowed. Her grip tightened around the steering wheel as her breathing grew heavier.
Ah, how could she ev...
"Elara, that car went whoosh and turned over there!" Zia suddenly spoke up pointing excitedly through the windshield.
"Where?" Elara blurted out at once.
"That place." Zia pointed toward a narrow turning ahead. Seeing that Elara was finally paying attention to her, her eyes brightened immediately. "Who is that lady anyway? Is she Scary Suit Uncle’s mommy?"
Elara nodded absentmindedly and slowed the car as they approached the turning Zia had pointed out. The road ahead was much darker than the main street with tall trees lining both sides.
"Are you sure they came this way?" she asked, staring at the path.
Zia nodded firmly. "Yes I’m very sure. Unless they suddenly grew wings and flew away."
Elara shook her head tiredly. Just before she could look away, a faint taillight suddenly flashed in the distance cutting through the darkness for only a second before disappearing again.
Her eyes narrowed instantly.
The ringing of the phone in Zia’s hand suddenly broke the silence inside the car.
Zia looked down at the screen. The moment she saw the name displayed there, her eyes widened. She immediately tapped the screen several times.
"Scary Suit Uncle!" she exclaimed happily. "It is Little Minky Zia."
She giggled to herself.
Because the phone was on loudspeaker, the voice that came from the other end filled the car clearly. "Put Elara on the phone."
Zia’s face immediately fell. She pouted dramatically and stretched the phone toward Elara. "No one ever wants to talk to me."
Elara took the phone from her. At the same time, her other hand tightened around the steering wheel. "Hello," she said calmly.
The other end remained silent for a long second. Then Adrian’s voice came. "Where are you?"
"Following them," Elara replied calmly.
A snort came from the other end. "Do you suddenly think you’re immortal?" Before she could answer, his voice came again. "Turn around. This doesn’t concern you."
Elara’s brows furrowed immediately in displeasure. "It’s about your mother."
"And that’s exactly why it doesn’t concern you." His tone remained cold and flat, but somehow that only made the words hit Elara harder.
The taillights of the car flashed again in the distance, reminding Elara that whoever had taken Mrs Vale was still moving farther away with every passing second.
"I’m hanging up now. You should come quickly," she muttered. Not waiting to hear his reply, she ended the call immediately.
She pulled the car over to the side of the road and switched off the engine. Then she turned toward Zia. "I’ll lock the doors now. Don’t unlock them and come out. No matter what happens, stay inside the car. Not until I come back."
Sensing where the conversation was heading, Zia immediately shook her head in disagreement. "No. I want to go with you. I’m a big girl now. I’ll help you beat those bad people."
Elara shook her head and pushed the door open. "Zia, please. I’m only going to check what’s happening. I’ll be back soon. You would only become a problem if you come with me."
Zia pursed her lips as she watched her step out of the car. Then she gave a small nod, though her eyes had already started glistening with tears. "Oh-kay."
Elara finally sighed in relief. She locked the car, slipped the key into her shirt pocket, and took one last look at the dark windows before turning around and walking in the direction the vehicle had gone.
She moved carefully through the narrow path, her eyes drifting back toward the car every few seconds.
For a long time, she found no trace of the vehicle. She began wondering if they had noticed her following them and taken another route. Or worse, if they were currently hiding somewhere in the darkness, watching her.
Suddenly, the sound of a car door slamming shut echoed from the distance.
Elara’s heart jerked, her steps quickening instinctively. It didn’t take long before she spotted a vehicle parked not too far ahead. It was the same car Mrs. Vale and the two men had entered.
Elara immediately moved behind a thick cluster of vegetation to avoid being seen. From where she stood, she watched two men step out of the vehicle. One of them opened the back door and a figure climbed out.
Even from this distance, Elara recognized it as Mrs Vale’s immediately.
Her eyes flashed with hesitation. Then she clenched her fists and moved closer, keeping herself hidden behind the trees and bushes.
"What do you think of this place, Mrs. Vale?" one of the men asked pleasantly. "That restaurant you invited us to was too public. We wanted somewhere more private. This place is wonderful. It has fresh air, peaceful atmosphere and beautiful trees. Very suitable for an important discussion. We really should have brought snacks."
The other man nodded with a serious expression. "That’s true. The customer experience is much better out here."
Mrs. Vale stared at them as though they had lost their minds. "I have no time for all this. Tell me what you want."
Her voice was a little shaky, but it remained firm. She stood rooted to the ground, her hands resting stiffly at her sides as she glared at both men.
The men burst into laughter as if she had just told them the funniest joke imaginable.
"You’re asking what we want?" one of them said. "That’s interesting. We were under the impression that you knew exactly what we wanted."
The second man walked back to the car and brought out a camera. He adjusted it carefully before setting it up.
"Since you’re determined to act as if you don’t understand anything, we’ll stop pretending too." He gave a casual shrug. "Our boss sent us here to ask a few questions that have been keeping him awake lately."
The first man nodded calmly. "Yeah. The poor man has been suffering from curiosity."
The second man patted the camera. "And we’d really appreciate your cooperation. But fortunately for us, appreciation isn’t necessary. You don’t exactly have a choice."
Mrs. Vale took a step backward, her eyes moving from one man to the other. "You should reconsider what you’re doing. You won’t get away with this." She muttered sternly.
The man holding the camera stepped closer and aimed it directly at her face. Meanwhile, the other cleared his throat dramatically like he were preparing to host a television program.
"Alright then, Mrs. Vale. Let’s begin."