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CHAPTER 53
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2025-02-23 14:55:56
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Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 54
ABIGEALI GOT back to the house barely an hour after I left it, so I didn't expect anybody to be out and about just yet. I walked up to the front door and reached out to touch the handle.“You know, if you're going to be sneaking out before 7am you could at least be quieter about it.” Blaine's voice said from behind me, startling me a little.I turned. “I wasn't sneaking out.”“Oh? Then I'm sure at least one or two other people know you've left the house. Why don't we go in and find out?” He gestured to the building.I sighed. “Fine. I wanted to take care of something before I had to resume work.”“Anything I can help with?” He asked, coming closer to me. I forced myself to stay where I was.“It's fine. I handled it.”“Why do I feel like it has something to do with Annalise being in the military?” He asked after a brief pause. My eyes darted to him. “Excuse me?”“I saw the look on your face when we opened up her I*******m profile. You didn't know.” He responded.There was no use tr
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-23Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 55
ABIGEALI HAD to admit, zipping down a street in a brand new car beyond the speed limit was thrilling. There wasn't another car in sight, so I could do whatever I wanted without getting written up.What was not so thrilling, however, were the kids in the backseat squealing. With the way they were yelling, you'd think I was kidnapping them to sell into slavery.Another reason why I was grateful for the empty roads.I made a hard right turn and went back the same way we had come, slowing down when I got to where everyone else was standing.Gabriela had her hands on her hips and her lips pursed as the kids climbed out of the car. “That was a little faster than I would have liked.” She commented.I opened my mouth to apologize but Dolores scoffed. “Oh please. They go on joyrides faster than that at the fair. Besides, Abigeal won’t let anything happen to them.” She said.Blaine came out of the house checking his watch. “Alright, play time is over. Abigeal and I have to go.” He said, follow
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-24Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 56
BLAINEI KEPT one eye on Abigeal's rigid figure as I spoke. “What's the update?” I asked. The team of tech guys we'd assembled within the hour were working furiously to trace the call from Abigeal's phone. “We're trying our best, sir, but it's not as easy as it would have been if it were a live signal. You'll have to be more patient.”“Patient? She's running out of time. She could be dead by now for all we know.” Abigeal said from where she stood. Apart from the small frown on her face, there was no indication she'd just heard her roommate get shot at.I didn't know who was colder, her or Jordan.“Hurry up.” I snapped.“Sir, like we said already, the signal is dead so it's a lot harder to trace”“I don't care if it's six feet under. Get it done.” I replied. “Yelling at them isn't going to get it done any faster, you know.” Jordan drawled. I shot him a look and he held up his hands. “All I'm saying is, you don't even know this person. Look at the person who knows her, see how calm
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-24Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 57
ABIGEALI HEARD the crunch of leaves behind me seconds before I heard the scream. I ducked to avoid the dagger thrown at my head and whipped around with one leg out. My attacker was quick enough to leap over my leg and step back. I regained my feet, thinking quickly. I was almost sure it was Anna I'd heard screaming, and that meant she was still alive but in immediate danger. If I didn't get to her soon I might not be able to help her.I drew two of my daggers and tilted my head at the masked person heading straight for me. “Let's make this quick, shall we?” I said before slashing out. They dodged my attacks skillfully and even managed to get in a hit of their own. I stumbled back with narrowed eyes. “Wait a damn minute,” I said.This person's style of fighting seemed familiar but foreign also, like they had worked on and improved it.“I know you," I continued. To confirm, I started to circle and they followed. I watched their feet as she started to walk, then straightened with an a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-25Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 58
ABIGEALJORDAN WAS waiting for us in Blaine's office when we got back. He was seated on the black leather sofa by the full length windows, a glass of dark-colored liquid in one hand and a tablet on his lap. He looked up as we entered, studying both our faces.“Are you supposed to be drinking at work?” Blaine asked then seemed to reconsider. “You know what? Forget I said that.” He walked over to get a glass and pour himself whatever Jordan was having.“Do I take this to mean it didn't go well?” Jordan said smoothly, his face showing nothing of what he was thinking. Blaine downed the drink and poured another, which I took to mean I was going to be handling this part myself.“We got to find out that it was just a trap, set to lure me there so these assassins could kill me. One of them was Christa Santi.” I summarized. His eyes flickered in recognition. “You're here, which means she didn't succeed once again.” He replied. I shrugged. “I'm hard to kill.”“No sign of your roommate?”“Non
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-25Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 59
ABIGEALI ROLLED over and contemplated a scream as the buzzing of my phone overtook the silence. I considered throwing it across the room so I could return to peace and quiet, but figured answering or rejecting the call was a more cost effective way to deal with the situation. I kept my eyes closed as I reached for it so I could slip back into sleep easier and tapped on the screen. “Hello?”“Why are you not with the target currently?” Morgan's voice demanded. I held back a groan. I'd popped a couple of sleeping pills before I went to bed and they hadn't worn off yet, so I wasn't in the right frame of mind to deal with this. “Morgan, it's barely 6 in the morning.” I said.“Yes, and I want to know why your shiny new car is parked outside your decrepit apartment building instead of undergoing an existential crisis next to the target's shinier cars.” He snapped.My drugged self smiled. “That was a nice analogy.”“Miss Starr.”“I basically got fired, and so what? I can still take him ou
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 60
ABIGEALIF MICHAEL was confused about how a dinner date for two had turned into one for three, he didn't show it. I introduced Annalise to him when we got outside the apartment and he shook her hand with a smile. “It's lovely to meet you, Miss Millstone.”“Oh please. I'm intruding on your date night, I think you can call me Anna.” She replied with a small laugh. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. “Yes, I'm really sorry about this, Michael. It's just that Anna has been going through a tough time and I can't bear to leave her alone tonight. What she needs is a night out.” I said. It wasn't totally a lie. I couldn't leave Anna at the flat alone, but it was mostly because I couldn't trust her not to try anything stupid.Michael nodded thoughtfully, his soft hazel eyes resting on Anna's face. She'd done a good job of covering up the bags under her eyes with makeup and wearing tinted contacts the color of the sky to hide the redness of her eyes, but anyone with the slightest p
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 61
ABIGEALMY NAME was called and I turned, hoping nothing of what I was feeling showed on my face. “Pasta. I'll have the pasta.” I said without looking at the menu, even though my appetite was gone. The server smiled patiently. “You need to pick a kind of pasta, ma'am, unless you want them all.”I glanced at the menu again but my eyes saw nothing. I vaguely remembered Anna saying something about “Fettucine chicken alfredo.” I said it and the server noted it down and went away.I found both Michael and Anna giving me concerned looks. “That's the second time you've spaced out. Are you okay? Do we need to leave and reschedule?” He asked, worried eyes moving over my face.“I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. I feel fine, maybe a little distracted.” I tried to smile, then decided against it.“Are you sure?” Anna asked. I looked over at her. “Yeah, I am. Let's enjoy the rest of our evening, shall we?”Anna smiled at me and picked up where she left off on a topic. Apparently Michael had ask
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27
Bab terbaru
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 105
ABIGEALI HAD to admit, leaving the country wasn't such a bad idea. It had been an impulsive decision, sure, but as I sipped a cocktail on a balcony while gazing at the stars, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't been weighted down by one obligation or another. Whether it was finding justice for my brother, or trying to assassinate Blaine without him catching a clue.No. We're not thinking about him. Not today, not ever.The one thing I regretted though, was letting Anna have her way when she insisted on helping me pack because I didn't have the energy to argue. She'd taken out all my usual everyday clothes and put in their place flirty sundresses and cocktail gowns and bikinis that left little to the imagination, with a little note that said ‘Now you're ready for the other kind of smashing’ with a little winky face.I shook my head as I recalled. Not that the new wardrobe had done me much good. Every man that had approached me so far either
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 104
BLAINEEACH DAY, I wondered why I bothered coming into this office when all I did was drink and stare into space. I had a pounding headache and a hazy memory of the night before. Where had I gone?I remembered heading into a bar. I remembered talking to a blonde who looked vaguely like the girl I was trying to forget. It got hazy from there.Did I take her home? She wasn't there when I woke up and the disapproving glances from my aunts weren't more intense than usual, so no. I chugged Advil down with whiskey and almost laughed at the irony.I leaned back in my chair trying to piece my night together but I'd barely started when a voice interrupted me. “It’s a bit early for happy hour.”I tensed and tightened my grip on the glass. “It's happy hour somewhere,” I said casually.Footsteps walked further into the room. “I hear you've been terrorizing our employees in my absence," Jordan said.“If terrorizing means making sure they do their jobs and do it well, then yes, I've been terrorizin
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 113
ABIGEALTHERE WAS a knock on my bedroom door, but I didn't move an inch from where I was and just hoped the noise would go away. But it didn't. Instead, the handle turned and the door opened. I still gave no reaction, as from the voices I knew it was Anna and Melanie standing in the doorway. Melanie took one look at my ramrod straight figure sitting in a chair close to the window and turned to Anna. “How long has she been like this?”“I don't know. Sometimes she'd be up and about and talking, then she'd be back here. I'm not sure what to do,” Anna whispered.“You realize I can hear every word, right?” I said without looking back.“You were meant to.” Melanie walked further into my room and stopped beside me. “What do you think you're doing?” She snapped.I looked up at her and smiled vaguely. “Hi. When did you get back? You look great.” She and Jordan had taken a vacation to a country I didn't remember, since things were still tense with Blaine.As soon as his name came up in my th
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 112
BLAINE“WHAT IS wrong with you? What's wrong with all of you?” I snapped, flinging the pieces of paper that my employee just handed me in the air so they scattered and fluttered around. “All the fucking numbers are wrong. I do not pay you huge amounts of money to be met with such incompetence?”“But sir, we worked with the data you got from your office.” One of the workers squeaked, trying to hide behind the files she was holding. “I'm sorry sir, she's new to this department.” The one who was still trying to pick up the papers said. “We'll fix it, sir.”“Better do, if not you and Goldilocks over there are fired. In fact, all of you.” The whole department looked at me in shock before averting their eyes. None of them wanted to be the focus of my attention.I swiveled around and stalked away, my admin Chris walking behind me. “Did you get the analysis done for the Wexler acquisition?” I asked.“No sir, I-”“Damn it, Chris. When did everyone become so lazy? What kind of business are we
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 111
ABIGEALTHIS PART was one of the hardest. Kat and Melanie had done most of the cleanup while Anna rested against a wall. I walked up to them and surveyed the space.“Is this everyone?” I asked.“Everyone who resisted. Under those cloaks, some of them were children, some barely old enough to drink. And one of them came at me with a knife.” Kat rubbed her eyes like doing so would erase the image.I looked at the bodies scattered around the floor. “Did you…?”“Of course not. Jesus, do I look like a monster?” Kat looked offended.I held up my hands, then let out a sigh. The plan was to wipe everyone out, but I couldn't do that with a clear conscience. The girl I'd seen was about Juan's age.Perhaps if they became problems a few years later, I could deal with them then. “Got the gasoline?” I asked.Melanie held up the two kegs. I took one and helped her spread it around while Kat supported Anna's weight and helped her outside. When we'd exhausted the kegs, we went out the back exit throug
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 100
ABIGEALI WAS stripped of my weapons and pushed into the main hall. The red cloaked people formed a circle with me, Anna, Morgan and his father in the middle. I refused to call him my father, as he'd never been one to me.I knelt beside Anna and took out a strip of clothing, using it to bind her leg. “How did this go so wrong?” I whispered.Her face was pale from the blood loss. “They were on me so fast, I didn't see them coming?” She groaned as I tightened the bind. “The others are safe though.”“Then we might still have a chance," I said lowly. A gunshot made me flinch.“Any more whispering and I'll put the poor girl out of her misery," Soliz said. I glanced back to glare at him. “Stop threatening her. I already gave you what you wanted. I surrendered.”I squeezed her arm lightly and rose. “What exactly do you want from me?” I asked him.“I want you to join us.”I shook my head. “Not happening. Next.”“You are a Soliz, whether you like it or not. I am not leaving my organization in
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 99
ABIGEALSOMETHING ABOUT the man standing in the doorway made me unsettled. Maybe it was the way the hooded people bowed out of the way reverently or the way Morgan's body language changed and he cast his eyes to the ground.Or maybe it was the pleasant smile on his face despite the situation.A thought niggled at the back of my head but I couldn't place it. I walked around until I was behind Morgan and held the knife to his throat. “Who are you?” I asked.His eyes slid to me. “Ah, Abigeal. It's always a pleasure.”The voice tickled my memory box. A sense of trepidation washed over me and I couldn't figure out why. “Have we met?”The man laughed easily. “You could say that. Although we met more recently, but I'm not surprised you don't remember.”It came to me suddenly. The only reason why I hadn't placed him immediately was because I'd only gotten a partial look at his face that day when Anna, Michael and I had bumped into Morgan at the restaurant.“I can see you remember. Now may I a
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 98
ABIGEALEVERYTHING WAS set in place by the time the sun started to set. The ammunition we needed was delivered to the apartment. I was prepping all my knives while keeping an eye on the time. I had to be back at Blaine's house for dinner with the family, otherwise he'd start to ask questions. I'd already had to lie that Anna had called me over to help her with her application. I slid the bags under my bed when I was done and checked in with Anna before I left.When I got home, Blaine was standing in the living room with a smile on his face watching Juan practice a presentation for school. I stood just behind him and watched. When Juan was done, Blaine applauded. “Good job, but you'll have to work on not stuttering as much. And you don't have to look anyone in the eye, glance above their heads.”Juan nodded. “We'll practice again?”“Sure, buddy, but you need to go wash up for dinner now. And make sure the others do the same.” He replied. Juan waved at me before leaving the room.Blaine
Twice Upon A Star CHAPTER 97
ABIGEALTHE NEXT morning, I went to see Anna. If I was going to take on a mission of this size, I was going to need help. And she was the only person I trusted enough to take my side on this, and not turn me away because of what I did.She opened the door before I knocked and looked surprised to see me. “Abigeal? Hey. I was just going to have a fight with the landlord. He has cut down the hot water supply and it ran out halfway through my shower. Thank God there weren't hot showers in the military so I'm not spoiled.” She raved, stepping out with me and closing the door.“Of course you can't relate. I bet the water runs hot twenty four hours a day in Blaine's Palace," she said without heat.I pretended to consider it. “I think it does, actually. It's one of those things you don't really notice, you know, because it's right there.”She glared at me but could only hold it for a couple of seconds before we started to laugh. “You know what, I can go fight him later. It's not like he's goi
