Facade of Love (Yvette Scott and Idris Young)
Chapter 248

Chapter 248 We Have a Long Future Ahead of Us

He froze for a second, then let go quickly, his eyes full of worry. "What's wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”

I looked at him, all these feelings welling up, and shook my head. "No, it's just... you were squeezing me too tight, that's all."

His voice was rough when he finally spoke, hesitating before he said, "Sorry."

His behavior was unusual and not at all characteristic, and it threw me off.

I looked away, taking in the mountains and trees around us. The only thing different was the scorched black trees where the fire had been put out.

I scanned the area, trying to spot the black car that had been my prison; however, it was like it had vanished into thin air.

Idris caught me searching and asked, "Looking for something?"

"Where are we? How did you even replace me?" I had been sure I was a goner.

He still looked pretty shaken as he told me, "We're still up in the mountains. Charles woke up and called me after you were taken. We called the cops, and it was a stroke of luck they had a black van, so it was easy to spot. We tracked it to the base of the mountain, then saw the fire and came running. The vehicle blew up, but thank goodness... you were safe."

His voice cracked a little on his last words. I knew this whole mess had hit him hard.

As I gazed at him, I could not resist reaching out to gently touch the patch of hair on his forehead that had been scorched away. I knew without a doubt that he had gotten that bald spot while saving me. Expressing feelings was not exactly my forte, but I managed to say, "Looks like you might have to shave off all your hair."

He caught my hand and gave me a reassuring smile, "No worries. I'm good-looking. I can totally rock the bald look."

His joke cracked me up, and I burst into laughter, though I felt a twinge in my nose and my heart melted a bit. We had all the time in the world ahead of us.

After the ordeal, Idris whisked me off to the hospital to make sure I had not endured any other injuries. The doctors gave me a clean bill of health, except for my lungs, which had taken in a lot of smoke and needed some recovery. Lying in the hospital bed, I was convinced I did not need to be there. Despite my protests, Idris would not budge, and I ended up giving in.

Once he had talked me into staying for observation, there was a knock at the door, Idris called out,

"Come in," In walked Ensio, as stern as ever. He glanced at me and nodded, then turned to Idris, silent but clearly with something on his mind.

Idris got the hint and asked him straight up, "What's up? Just say it." Ensio nodded. "Mr. Young, we have gotten the report from the scene. The car did not just catch fire-it was torched on purpose. It appears they tried to spread the fire to the woods, probably hoping to trap you in the blaze.",

Idris's expression turned stormy, and he was quiet for a moment. When he finally spoke, his

Chapter 248 We Have a Long Future Ahead of Us

voice was steady and calm. "Any leads on who did it?" Ensio gave a nod but hesitated, stealing a glance my way. Idris caught the cue and stood up, ready to step outside for a private word.

I clutched at Idris's pants, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I was this close to being a goner. The least you can do is tell me who's got it out for me. You don't have to keep secrets. Can you do that?" Idris hesitated for a heartbeat before sinking back into his chair, giving a small nod.

He turned to Ensio and commanded, "Let's hear it."

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Ensio, a man of few words, got straight to the point. "The ones who snatched the lady bunch of lowlifes from the west side tracks. They were driving a black van. The cops say these guys were ex-cons, fresh out of the slammer for a botched heist a couple of years back. They're back in custody now."

I scrunched my brows together. "Ex-cons? I don't have any beef with them. Why would they be gunning for me?"

Ensio nodded, his voice steady as he delivered the bombshell. "The cops just cracked them. Turns out they were paid hitmen. Someone promised them two hundred grand each for your head, with another two hundred grand each after the job was done."

Idris, who had been quiet, now frowned deeply. "And the mastermind?"

Ensio shook his head, his tone unchanging. "They never met the boss. They just got orders. over the phone. However, the cops traced the money trail back to Mr. Zanier's right-hand man.

П

"Jack?" I was taken aback. He was the last person I suspected.