Chapter 436 Lightning
The words had barely left her mouth when the heavens split apart with a violent roar.
Finn’s head jerked upward. A streak of lightning shed across the darkened sky.
Only minutes ago the air had been clear, the clouds light and harmless. Now a wall of ck storm clouds pressed low, heavy enough to smother the city.
Rain wasing.
A restless fear twisted inside Finn’s chest. His steps quickened.
He threw himself into the driver’s seat and pushed the car hard toward the hotel.
“Faster!” His voice snapped like a whip as the engine roared louder.
When the hotel finally came into view, his eyes caught Tess and the others stepping through the doors.
Relief eased the knot inside him.
But the second he crossed the lobby threshold, the storm broke wide open.
Rain mmed against the earth in torrents, each drop striking like nails hammered into the ground.
He raced up the stairs to his floor. As he rounded the corner, Tess appeared without warning. Her face was drained of color, her steps frantic.
She stumbled straight into him.
Her body hit his chest with force. Finn’s heart jolted. His arms wrapped around her instinctively, pulling her in tight.
“What happened?” His voice was low, urgent, filled with heat.
Tess felt his breath wash over her hair. She ignored the sting blooming on her nose and snapped her head up.
They stood less than half a head apart. Her pulse leapt. She pushed herself back, but then froze as a thought cut through her mind. Her eyes sharpened, piercing him.
“It’s pouring outside. Tell me what you were doing out there.”
Finn’s face did not waver. His words came firm and steady. “What happened? Tell me now.”
Just then, Lyra rushed into view. Her gaze darted between the two of them. A frown carved deep lines into her face. She stepped forward, yanking Tess behind her.
“Mr. Lock. You just got back?” Her voice carried suspicion, edged with warning.
Finn caught the weight of her stare. In that instant he knew something grave had urred.
L arrived secondster, his tone sharp.
“When we left, you were still at the hotel. Why are you showing up only now?”
Chapter 436 Lightning
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“I was about to step out. The storm started, so I came back.” Finn’s reply was curt and cool. But his eyes never left Tess, as if the words were meant only for her.
“So you were here the entire time? Did you hear anything strange? The boy we found is gone.”
“Gone?” Finn’s jaw clenched. His tone cut like steel.
“Wait here. I’ll pull the security footage.”
Tess stared at his briskmand. Doubt prickled inside her, but she forced her steps forward. “I’ming with you.”
“I’ll go too!”
“Count me in!”
Lyra and L burst out together, fear quickening their voices as they hurried to follow.
Tess shot Finn a nce. His silence spoke louder than words. His eyes flickered with disapproval, but he gave in.
Momentster they stood in the hotel’s monitoring room.
Tess had no idea how Finn had gained ess so quickly, but money and power could open any door.
“Bring up the footage from ten o’clock.”
Ten o’clock. The moment he had already left the hotel and climbed into his car.
The staff member nodded at once. His hands shook as he moved the mouse. Fear shadowed his face.
The monitor lit up, showing the long hallway. The silence was thick. The luxury wing was rarely full, and these past nights, only Tess and her group stayed there.
The fast–forwarded footage crawled by. The hallway looked still, lifeless. Then, an hourter, a shadow appeared.
Head to toe in ck, Mask. Cap pulled low. The man nced around, cautious. He rapped lightly on Ken’s door.
“Hello. Complimentary lunch from the hotel. Would you like one?”
“Yes, thank you-” Ken’s words cut short, choked into muffled gasps.
The intruder pressed a dark cloth over his mouth.
Ken convulsed, his arms and legs thrashing in desperate struggle. But within seconds, his movements faltered. His strength vanished. His body slumped hard to the ground.
The entire attack ended in less than half a minute.
A shiver raced down the staff member’s spine.
His eyes slid toward the group.
Each face was carved with stone. Tess stood at the front, her expression a mask of frost. Her eyes froze the air around her.
“Pull the lobby footage.”
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Chapter 436 Lightning
Her voice was sharp, low, dangerous.
The man’s legs trembled.
He scrambled to obey.
The screen shifted. The ck figure hauled Ken’s limp body through the back exit. At the desk, the clerk nced up once, quickly turned away, as if terrified to get involved.
then
The room fell into absolute silence. Even the hum of the machines seemed drowned out by the cold creeping through the air.
“Your hotel’s security is remarkable,” Tess whispered.
Her words ground against her teeth with restrained fury.
“Not finished yet,” Finn said. His eyes slid to her, calm but firm. “Pull the back–lot footage.”
Tess’s fury burned through her veins. But she knew anger solved nothing. She forced her jaw tight and kept her eyes locked on the
screen.
The footage shifted again. The dark figure carried Ken to a car waiting at the curb. He shoved the boy into the trunk, mmed it shut, and slid into the driver’s seat. The car pulled away, swallowed by the rain.
Sara Lili
<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.