"Their escape route headed toward Northside?" Lulu furrowed her brows."It seems so. Did they go into the mountains?" June chimed in, noting that beyond Northside lay expansive wilderness.Zane pondered for a moment and then suggested, "Regardless, this at least indicates that Charlie and his team might have pursued Everett into the mountains, hence their current incommunicado status.""So, they're out of signal range because they're in the mountains," Samuel agreed.Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; under the circumstances, this was relatively good news."I'll arrange for backup support right away," Zane declared, stepping aside to make the call.Nicole, scrutinizing the surveillance footage that Preston, Ryder, and Gary had restored, narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.It seemed that after Ellar and Patricia had escaped, Charlie had a chance to capture Everett, but Aquila unexpectedly intervened, helping Everett escape. Charlie then pursued them, and there had been no news since
"Yes, sir," the team responded in unison.Charlie looked at his signal-less phone and handed Seth a beacon, saying, "Use this to contact us if there's any news."Splitting up was necessary to cover more ground, but given Aquila's cunning, coordinating their efforts upon finding any clues was crucial.Taking the beacon, Seth confirmed, "Got it, we're off."With that, Seth led his group to the left while Charlie took his team to the right.Shortly after, the support team at the mountain base arrived.Max's scouts had just returned, and Zane's reinforcements had also reached the location. Both groups exchanged knowing looks before Max suggested, "Let's hear the updates together.""Sure." The scout quickly briefed them, "We've confirmed they went up the mountain, and we found markers left by the Commander...""Alright," Max nodded and turned to Zane's team, "Let's split into two groups, and we can complement each other's numbers.""Good, we aren't familiar with the signals your te
"Why have you been following Aquila and Everett for so long?" Max asked, looking confused.He thought that even though Aquila was tough, having Everett and Doretta with him should have made him slower. Plus, Charlie had a lot of people in his group."Aquila took Everett and Doretta to the mountains and then vanished. I bet he had a way out planned already," Charlie answered. He and his team had searched the mountains really well but couldn't find them anywhere."That explains it," Preston said, a slight smile on his face. Now it made sense why they hadn't been able to catch them, even with so many people."Then, Seth and I split up to look for them. We might have trapped them, and that's when Aquila appeared out of nowhere, surprising me and hurting two of my team," Charlie shared, sounding a bit upset."Good thing you sent the signal in time so we could find you fast," Max said, clearly relieved. Charlie and two of his team were hurt, and the other two couldn't stand up to Aquila
Charlie realized that Doretta had helped him because she was one of Zane's operatives."So, if Everett gets caught this time, he'll truly have no way out." With all the evidence in place, Everett could only await the full extent of legal retribution."Will Doretta be in any danger?" Charlie couldn't help but ask Zane.He understood that if he could notice something off about Doretta, Aquila might as well, and if they decided to harm her...Understanding Charlie's concern, Zane shook his head. "Don't worry, Doretta can handle it. Besides, if the mission fails, I've instructed her to prioritize her own safety."Evidence can be gathered again, but lives cannot be carelessly sacrificed."Is she capable of handling it?" Preston sounded skeptical, as Doretta appeared quite fragile."You'll see in time," Zane said with a hint of a smile. Doretta had merely concealed her skills; it wasn't that she lacked competence.Seeing Zane's expression, Preston nodded in acknowledgment. "It seems
With no other option, Aquila continued with Doretta, cautioning her, "Behave. No funny business."Doretta huffed, "What funny business? If we're caught, I'm done too."Aquila said nothing, leading the way with Doretta slowing them down.Seeing their pursuers closing in, Aquila whispered to Everett, "They're close. If we keep her, we won't escape."Everett hesitated. 'We getting caught now meant failure, but leaving Doretta...'Seeing his indecision, Doretta sat down, feigning defeat. "Go on without me. I can't run anymore."Knowing it was up to Everett, Doretta chose to surrender, hoping to buy time.She wasn't actually exhausted; she was just stalling for their pursuers. She had to keep up the act, though, to avoid suspicion and maintain her cover.Everett frowned at Doretta. "Hang on a little longer, or we're all going to die.""Just leave me. If someone has to go down, let it be me," Doretta insisted, pretending to be drained.Aquila stared at Doretta, his expression harde
"Got it." After agreeing, Nicole and Jared, with Nolan and Lana, left the Riddle residence. After dropping off Nolan and Lana at kindergarten, they headed to the hospital.Patricia was somewhat excited to see them. Nicole gave a slight smile. "You heard about Charlie.""Yes," Patricia nodded, having heard rumors but now confirmed by Nicole."Max took him to a nearby hospital, so he's not here," Nicole explained. "His wounds are treated, and he's stable.""Thank you, Ms. Riddle," Patricia said, feeling relieved."Nicole, did they catch Everett?" Ellar was now more concerned about Everett's capture.Nicole shook her head. "Not yet." She felt puzzled. 'A whole night has passed, so why is there still no news?'"He didn't escape again, did he?" Ellar's face went pale at the thought.Nicole frowned but didn't voice her uncertainties.With no updates, she too was unsure if Everett had been caught or not.As they talked, Nicole's phone rang. Seeing Zane's name, she narrowed her eyes
After finishing the cream soup, Ellar turned to Patricia and said, "I know you're worried about Charlie. You don't need to stay here with me; go and check on him.""Are you sure you'll be okay?" Patricia asked, concerned.She wanted to visit Charlie, but she also wanted to make sure Ellar was taken care of."I'll be fine. There are caregivers and nurses here if I need anything," Ellar reassured her. "Besides, Charlie's injuries might be serious even though he's not in critical condition. You'll feel better once you see him for yourself."Feeling touched by his concern, Patricia agreed, "Okay, I'll go see him and be back soon.""Be careful on your way there, and let the caregiver go with you. You're not fully recovered yet," Ellar reminded her."Don't worry, I'll be fine," Patricia assured him with a smile and left the hospital room.Ellar smiled faintly, watching Patricia's cheerful demeanor. Her happiness meant a lot to him.After leaving the hospital, Patricia went to visit C
Max knew that aside from Aquila and his people, the rest of the Eastern Falcon might be the only group left unwilling to follow Everett. This had significantly weakened Everett's support base.Jared glanced at Max and asked, "Any news on the two people close to Everett?""Are you talking about Jerry and Hexton?" Max hesitated for a moment, then added, "No, there hasn't been any word. It's strange, really. Where could they be hiding, and what are they planning?"A sudden thought seemed to strike Max, his expression changing slightly as he asked, "They couldn't have been the ones who helped Everett escape last night, could they?" Having stayed hidden for so long, maybe that was their plan all along."It's unlikely," Jared shook his head. If they had such capabilities, Aquila wouldn't have needed to engage in a prolonged standoff in the mountains with Everett.After pondering for a moment, Max decisively said, "I'll get in touch with Preston, make sure we find out their whereabouts s