Novel Payback 271_Revenge After Divorce Novel by Black Rose

Chapter 271 

 MARCUS

 The frustration burned deep in my chest as I paced back and forth, the news my men brought me hanging heavy in the air. They had scoured the ind, every inch of it, and still hadn’t found Olivia. It was the same thing Luke and the others told me.

 But I refused to believe she was gone. I knew, I knew, she was still here, hidden somewhere we hadn’t thought to look. Somewhere unexpected. Somewhere like the cemetery

 The team had reported that Xander had appeared there before, slipping through Luke’s men as if he had melted into the shadows, One minute, they had seen nothing. The next, he was standing right in front of them. No one knew how he had gotten past the guards. No one had seen ame or go. That had to mean something.

 But the real clue came when he told Luke to pull his men out of the cemetery. That wasn’t just a warning, it was a message. Xander had been close to the cemetery. He had been in it. And that was the one ce we hadn’t searched thoroughly for Olivia. The cemetery was thest ce they would think to look, because it was the </bst ce anyone would expect something like this to happen.

 I could feel the urgency wing at me. The longer we waited, the more chance Xander had to do whatever he was nning. I didn’t trust him. Not for a second. After everything he had lost, I didn’t think he would honour any deal he had made with Luke. Xander had a vendetta, and I was sure that whatever his n was, it was far more dangerous than anything he had promised.

 Without hesitation, I ordered my men to move out. We had to find him before he disappeared again. The stakes were too high.

 Luke had taken the south side with his men, splitting them into two groups: one would cover the southern perimeter of the cemetery, the other the eastern side. I took the northern entrance, and some of my men fanned out to cover the western side. We were closing in, tightening the noose around Xander.

 Every step felt heavier as I made my way through the dark, the weight of the gun in my hand steady but ominous. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a reminder of the danger we were in, and of the woman I was trying to save. I knew Xander would be close, he had to be. I could feel it in my bones.

 Men like him couldn’t be trusted, especially not after what had happened to his father. That anger had to be consuming him. He had made a deal with Luke, but I didn’t believe for a second that he would follow through. Not with the rage still burning in his veins.

 My men moved silently around me, but there was something in the air, something tense, something that made. the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I could sense it before I saw it, movement. A shadow darted in the distance, too quick, too deliberate. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the figure, my heart racing

 At first, I thought it was one of my own men, but then I saw it, he was carrying something. No one in my crew would be carrying anything other than their guns. This man, however, was carrying something else over his shoulder. I stepped forward, cautious but determined to stay out of sight.

 As I crept closer, I saw what he was doing. The figure moved swiftly; his pace unhurried as heid something down next to a gravestone. My blood ran cold when I realized what it was. Olivia.

 I didn’t hesitate for a second. My instincts kicked in, and before I could think, I raised my gun and fired. The first shot hit him in the shoulder, sending him stumbling backward. He grunted in pain, but didn’t fall. I fired again, this time hitting his side. He dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, the knife in his hand still gleaming in the

 moonlight.

 1 advanced, heart pounding in my ears. There was no time to waste. I knew he wasn’t out of the fight, not yet, but

 there was no way he was getting back up. My eyes locked onto Olivia’s still form, and I couldn’t stop myself from rushing to her side.

 I knelt beside her, feeling a sharp ache in my chest as I looked down at her. She was so pale, so lifeless, her eyes. distant, unfocused. She didn’t recognize ine, not at first. M breath hitched In my throat.

 “Olivia,” I whispered, my voice strained, almost broken. “I’s me, love. I’m here.”

 She didn’t respond right away. Her gaze seemed to look through me, as if I weren’t even there. I shook her gently, desperation wing at me. “My love, look at me,” I urged, by volce thick with emotion. “It’s Marcus.”

 For a long moment, she didn’t react. Then, slowly, her eyes flickered, something registering in the haze of her mind.

 “Marcus?” Her voice was barely a whisper, choked and uncertain.

 My heart twisted in my chest at the sound of my name on her lips, but the relief that washed over me was fleeting I could see the confusion still clouding her eyes, the fear etched deep into her features. She had been through so much. How much had she endured while I was searching for her?

 I reached for her, gently cupping her face in my hands. “I’m here, Olivia,” I repeated, my voice soft now. “You are safe. You are with me.”

 But even as I said it, I knew. I could feel it deep inside. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. Whatever Xander had nned, whatever Luke was still plotting, we weren’t out of the woods yet.

 Still, with Olivia here, in my arms again, I had to believe we had a chance. And I wasn’t about to let that chance slip away without a fight.

 through so much. How much had she endured while I was searching for her?

 I reached for her, gently cupping her face in my hands. “I’m here, Olivia,” I repeated, my voice soft now. “You are safe. You are with me.”

 But even as I said it, I knew. I could feel it deep inside. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. Whatever Xander had nned, whatever Luke was still plotting, we weren’t out of the woods yet.

 Still, with Olivia here, in my arms again, I had to believe we had a chance. And I wasn’t about to let that chance slip away without a fight. I tried to get her up, but her body was limp. What the hell did he do to her? I turned ring at him.

17kNovel

Novel Payback 271