Chapter Ninety: Hunt and Resolve

Chloe’s Point of View

I was dressed and ready by 5:30 a.m., which was good because Iris banged on my door at 5:45 a.m. I opened it to see her about to pound again and looked surprised that I was actually ready.

“What? I told you I’d be ready,” I shrugged, trying not to be offended at how surprised Iris seemed.

“But… it’s 5:45 a.m….” Iris’s voice trailed off.

I sighed and shook my head. Passive aggressive much? Damn, that woman needed to get laid. Maybe Rei should talk to her about the benefits of vibrators. There is nothing wrong with finding your release if other opportunities aren’t presenting themselves. Riding your own biker boy is not an option for everyone, I thought with a giggle. And then my face fell because I realized I just laughed out loud. Oh shit.

My eyes met Iris’s, and she was pissed with a capital P.

“I take it you didn’t sleep well?” I asked as gently as possible, praying my voice had no teasing tone.

“No. I did not,” she emphasized every word, giving me a knowing look.

I kept my mouth shut after that. I just grabbed my bag with my accessories in it. I felt we would at least get a lead on where Lillianna was. I was eager for all of this shit to be dealt with so that we could start to rebuild our lives once all had been revealed. Alex thought Iris was in marketing, for fuck sakes. I could only imagine what Tom thought I did for a living.

“Breakfast first. Your treat. Somewhere with strong coffee, please,” Iris gritted out.

As I followed Iris out of the apartment, I locked the door behind us, feeling a sense of urgency. We quickly stopped at a fast food drive-thru, where I fulfilled my promise by paying for our meals. While we ate, Iris drove through Rei and Lillianna's neighbourhoods. My mind was preoccupied with the news I had heard from Ethan: Emmanuel was on the run, his usual haunts abandoned, and two members of his crew had been found dead in a car near the woods. Although Emmanuel was still elusive, Ethan was relentlessly searching for him. In a small town like ours, it felt inevitable that everyone involved would soon be caught and dealt with, especially with our various organizations collaborating more than ever. Clearly, there weren’t many places left for someone to hide.

“Has anyone gone by Xavier’s place yet?” Iris asked after we’d been unable to find Lillianna, and the morning was almost over.

“Why would we go there?” I asked, confused.

“Are you slipping Chloe? Think about it. Why wouldn’t Lillianna go there? You can’t think of a reason other than it would be an obvious place for us to look, which is exactly why we should. I bet she’s there,” Iris said, turning the vehicle toward Xavier’s apartment.

It made sense, really. The hiding spot would be right there in front of us, unnoticed. After all, Lillianna had spent countless hours at the apartment and knew it well. But the thought of her being there sickened me now. I remembered all those times I had to pretend everything was fine while watching Lillianna manipulate Alex just to get closer to Rei and try to sabotage her relationship with Xavier. Everyone wanted Lillianna gone, and I was at the front of the line waiting for my chance to take out the trash. Today may be my lucky day.

Iris drove past Xavier's house slowly, and to my surprise, the lights were on. Confused, I turned to Iris, who had a victorious smile as she parked the car a short distance away. Lillianna's bike was not in the driveway, but another familiar vehicle caught my eye - Sam's car.

Iris turned to me, ready to gloat and noticed my horrified expression.

Iris looked at me with concern in her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked, focusing intently on me.

"That's Sam's car," I muttered, my voice trailing off as I avoided finishing my thought. I didn't want to even consider the possibility.

"Lillianna wanted collateral. Damn it. Do you want to call Ethan, or should I?" Iris let out a heavy sigh.

"You should. I'll try calling Sam's phone. We have an app that shows each other's location, or at least our phone's location," I responded.

Iris turned to me with a look of disbelief.

"I have mine set to a specific location whenever I want. Give me some credit," I retorted, feeling frustrated as Iris rolled her eyes.

Iris pointed to my phone and called Ethan to fill him in on the situation. She chewed her lip as she listened to his loud, tense voice blaring from her phone while I counted the rings until Sam’s phone went to voice mail. I didn’t leave a message, instead texting Sam to call me when she had a chance. Moments later, a text came through.

Sam: I've caught the stomach bug, and it's hitting me hard in both directions. I feel like death, so I'm taking a sick day. Will give you a call once I start feeling human again. 🤮

Me: Well, that sucks. I thought you had plans with Matt. Text me when you feel better. 😫

Sam: 👍

Yeah, that wasn’t Sam texting me. That was Lillianna. I checked the app, and Sam’s phone was in Xavier’s apartment. Her car and phone were there, but where was Sam?

“Ethan is sending a team to Sam’s apartment to check. He wants us to stay here and wait for further direction,” Iris said.

I nodded. As much as I wanted to go blazing in there to deal with Lillianna, I knew it was best to wait for further instruction.

“While we wait. Tell me everything you know about Lillianna. Let’s make sure that bitch doesn’t leave here alive,” Iris said.

My words tumbled out in a frantic stream, filled with dread and urgency. Lillianna was dangerous, more than anyone could imagine. Her thirst for blood knew no bounds, and she had nothing to lose, making her a lethal force to be reckoned with. We couldn't afford to underestimate her for even a second. I just hoped that we weren’t too late by the time we got into Xavier’s apartment and that Sam would be okay.