Ian shuddered. If Ashton’s guess was right and Tristan was also involved in the plot against Rosalia back then, then everything Briar believed in would crumble.
Brandon grew tense and sped up, hoping to get there before the missuspletely lost control.
He had a feeling that even with Reece and Hamish there, they might not be able to control her.
Apparently, Ashton’s fears were soon confirmed.
Ten minutester, Reece called.
“Damn it! Ashton, your wife has lost it. The two of us can’t stop her. Where are you? Hurry up…”
Before Reece could finish, three gunshots brought the call to an abrupt end.
Ashton’s breathing grew heavy. “Brandon, drive faster.”
Brandon said, “Understood!”
19
The atmosphere in the car was tense and quiet. Brandon and Ian, sitting in the front, had heard Reece’s call.
Thest three gunshots, in particr, made their hearts pound.
Brandon wished he could drive the SUV at supersonic speed. The situation had gotten serious.
Just then, Ashton’s phone rang again. It was not a call from Reece, but from Ruben.
Ruben said, “Ashton, we’ve retrieved Zeke’s safe–deposit box from Shrewy Bank…”
Ashton’s expression darkened. “What was in the safe–deposit box?”
In fact, Ashton did not need to wait for Ruben’s answer. He could already guess from the gravity of his tone.
Sure enough, Ruben sighed. “Inside the safe–deposit box was Zeke’s handwritten confession about how he had conspired with the Lopez family to harm Rosalia, step by step…”
The truth and its consequences were too cruel for Ruben to speak of.
Larry snatched the phone and asked, “Ashton, what’s the situation on your end? Have you found Briar? We must keep this from her for now. Otherwise, I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle the shock.”
Ashton’s voice was even heavier than Ruben’s and Larry’s. “It’s toote.”
Larry was stunned. “What do you mean? Where is she now?”
Their car drove into a deserted mountain pass. Ashton looked at the two cars parked not far away. “She’s
<b>10:20 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>
already found Brody.”
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On the other end of the line, Ruben and Larry gasped in shock. “What? How is she so fast? <b>Is </b>Brody still alive<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Ashton replied, “I don’t know. Even if he is alive, he’s probably crippled or maimed.”
“Mr. Wade, we’re here.” Brandon parked the car near the cave and looked at the men in ck lying at the entrance, his voice tense.
Ashton told Ruben, “I have to go.” Then he pushed the door open and got out of the car.
Ian also hurried out of the car and checked the dead men one by one.
He said proudly, “Mr. Wade, they were all killed with a single shot. The technique was clean and efficient. It’s Briar’s work.”
Ashton was at a loss for words.
It was not the time to be proud.
The men Reece brought with him approached. “Ashton, our boss said for you to go into the cave as soon as you arrived. They’re about to be overwhelmed.”
Most of Reece’s men were elite retired military veterans with exceptional skills and resilience, yet Ashton could see the tension and panic on their faces.
Ashton’s heart sank. “Understood. You all guard the entrance. Don’t let anyone near.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ashton rushed into the cave with Brandon and Ian.
As they ventured deeper, they found the cave littered with bodies, nearly all killed by gunfire. The air was thick with the stench of blood.
But what horrified them most wasn’t the bodies on the floor or the overturnedb equipment, but the bloodcurdling screams echoing from deep within the cave.
“No… I was wrong!”
“Kill me! Please, kill me!”
They followed the screams and soon found a frantic Reece. “Damn it! Briar, calm down, will you?”
Hamish stood behind the blood–soaked Briar, wanting to stop her, but Memphis held him back. Unable to get close, he also looked like he was about to lose his mind.
Looking at Briar, besides the blood covering her, the most startling thing was the boning knife in her hand.
The 10–foot–long boning knife spun deftly in her hand. With every rotation, a piece of flesh flew out, apanied by a scream.
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A small, thin man covered in blood was tied to a wall. His hands and feet were pierced through with iron rods, but miraculously, he was not bleeding profusely.
But there wasn’t a patch of intact flesh left on his body.
The scene was so gory and brutal that it was hard to imagine that this was the ‘masterpiece‘ of an 18–year–old girl.
When Hamish heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Ashton, he looked as if he had seen his savior. “Ashton, you’re here.”
Ashton strode forward, his gaze sweeping over Briar. Seeing that she was unharmed, he finally rxed a little.
“What’s going on? Why haven’t you given my wife a shot yet?” Ashton asked Hamish in a low voice as he walked over to him.
Hamish’s eyes widened. “I injected her twice, but your wife waspletely unaffected. <b>It’s </b>like she’s not human.”
Ashton asked in astonishment, “You’re telling me you injected my wife twice, and she waspletely fine?”
“That’s right. Your wife’s body must have undergone some special modification.” Hamish spread his hands. He was even more shocked than Ashton.
Heaven knows how thrilled he was at that moment.
If Briar weren’t Ashton’s wife and therefore off–limits, he would have wanted to take her to his hospital to study her properly.
“Babe.” Noticing the excitement in Hamish’s eyes, Ashton irritably blocked his view and called out to Briar in a low voice.
In truth, Briar had known for a while that Ashton had arrived.
She couldn’t have missed all themotion outside.
But she didn’t turn around.
She didn’t need a mirror to know how disheveled and crazed she must look.
“Babe, it’s me. I’m here. Let’s stop for now, alright?” Ashton said as he cautiously walked over.
Memphis nced at Briar. Seeing no objection, he obediently stepped aside. “Ashton, Briar is furious. Be careful not to provoke her further.”
Ashton nodded. “I know.”
Ashton walked up behind Briar and took her by the wrist. He lowered his voice, afraid of startling her. “Babe, you must be tired. Let’s rest for a while, Okay?”
Briar didn’t struggle and let Ashton take the boning knife from her hand. “What? Are you also here to tell me
to show mercy?”
Ashton turned and red at Hamish. “Of course not. Death is too good for people like him.”
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