?Chapter 949:


    Her voice wavered for a second, but she pulled it together quickly. “Then… what do you want?”


    Raegan took a slow step forward, her tone sharp and icy. “You’ll know soon,” she said tly.


    Marisa sensed the looming figures of the guards closing in behind her, and a wave of dread and powerlessness swept over her.


    At the same time, tucked away inside a cramped, shadowy chamber hidden within the fight club, Baylor was hunched over in one corner, looking like he was on the verge of falling apart.


    With his head buried in his hands, he mumbled over and over, “How the hell did I end up here? Are they going to shut us up for good? These people don’t look like they’re ying around.”


    He was a wreck — his mood all over the ce — and he hadn’t quit whining since they got thrown in. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Mnie, seated just a few steps away, frowned deeply while flicking through her phone, desperately trying to reach someone on the outside.


    Even though the kidnappers hadn’t taken their phones, there wasn’t a single bar of reception. She figured that they were either using some kind of signal blocker or maybe it was just because they were buried so far underground. Still, with no one watching their every move, she slowly started to pull herself together.


    After all, she carried the Cooper name. If these people had even half a brain, they’d think twice beforeying a finger on her. She intended to y that card once the boss showed up — and insist on their release.


    “I’ve had enough of your moaning!” Ethan snapped, unable to stomach Baylor’s constant griping any longer. He spun around and shot him a furious look, his tone edged with irritation.


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    He’d already lost faith in the man his sister had married, and right now, Baylor’s whining was pushing him to the brink.<fn8> Content originallyes from </fn8>


    The sudden outburst caught Baylor off guard. He recoiled like a scolded child and mmed up in the corner.


    Right then, the heavy iron door creaked open from the hallway, breaking the silence like a thunderp.


    A towering, shaven-headed man entered the room, moving with deliberate slowness. He didn’t smile. His face was tight with authority, and his eyes sliced across the room, examining each person like they were items on a list. His voice dropped like a stone. “Unless you n to rot in this ce, you’d bettere with me.”


    Baylor clung to that voice like it was hisst hope. He bolted toward the man and asked, “Wait… are you setting us free?”


    There was a beat of silence before the man’s lip curled. He shot Baylor a look that froze the air. “Free? That’s rich. Funniest thing I’ve heard all day. If walking into death counts as freedom, then yes, freedom’s waiting right outside.”


    The hope drained out of Baylor all at once. His knees buckled. He copsed and began to shake, his voice breaking as he begged, “I’ll pay you. However much you want, it’s yours. Just don’t kill me. Please…”


    That was all it took for Mnie’s fear to boil over. She stormed ahead and said, “You don’t know who you’re dealing with. I’m Mnie Cooper. My father is Hurst Cooper. Surely you know how powerful and influential the Cooper family is. If you want to avoid a mess, I suggest you back off and let us out of here.”


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