Chapter 839
Chapter 839
“H-Have you come to rescue me, Bailey?”
As she spoke, she began to carefully examine the other woman's face.
The voice was hers, but the appearance did not match Bailey's at all.
“You underwent plastic surgery just to save me?”
Bailey sneered. “You're full of yourself, aren't you? Don't flatter yourself. You appeared to have forgotten our feud.”
Wendy cleared her throat lightly and did her best to conceal her embarrassment. “Why did you come to save me?” she asked with a frown.
Bailey ignored her. Instead, she was swiftly extracting her tools for disguise from the container.
A moment later, the suicide attacker became identical to Wendy.
Wendy covered her mouth, too shocked to speak.
“S-She...”
Without wasting her breath, Bailey began to yank Wendy's clothes off.
“What're you doing, Bailey? You will explain your plan to me, or I'm not coming with you. I bet you must have snuck in here, haven't you? I only have to raise my voice a little, and you'll have a lot of explaining
to do.”
“Idiot!” Bailey cursed instinctively. “Is your brain clogged with sh*t? Can't you understand what's going on?” she spat.
Glancing once more at the disguised woman changing into her clothes, Wendy understood immediately.
“Y-You're letting her take my place? I won't agree to this! I can't let someone else die in my stead.”
Bailey found a newfound admiration the woman after hearing her outburst.
She's not all bad. At least she has some integrity. However, there is no time to talk about having a backbone because she is crucial to the outcome of the entire plan.
“Hurry up and put on her clothes, then I'll bring you out of here. I'm not going to repeat myself.”
Wendy scowled. “I won't have somebody take my place,” she insisted through gritted teeth. “Listen to me carefully, Bailey: substituting another's life for mine is just plain cruel. I won't cooperate, and I certainly won't accept it. You should leave. I don't need your concern. Even if death is imminent, it's my fate to bear.”
Bailey leaned against the shelf, arms crossed, and said in a cold, detached voice, “Sebastian plans to sacrifice himself for your freedom.”
Wendy's eyes widened as she regarded the other woman in disbelief. “W-What did you say? He...”
Bailey shrugged. “Either you come with me now, or you can watch Sebastian walk into the trap yourself. I'm sure Sofie would be more than happy to trade you for Holden's son. After all, neither you nor your son will make it out of her clutches alive.”
“I'll come.” Wendy slid down the dressing table and slumped to the floor, murmuring, “I'll come with you.”
Bailey glanced at the suicide attacker, who nodded back at her, then began to put the finishing touches on herself, which she modeled after Wendy.
“You can leave with her now, Mrs. Luther. Don't worry, I'll be here.”
“All right. I will get you out of here. Don't give up, not even at the very end.”
...
After emerging with Wendy, now disguised, Bailey led the way out of the town.
Just as the pair were halfway through, a sudden gunshot echoed from within.
Her heart sank.
Artemis.
Instinctively, she tried to turn back, but Wendy grabbed her arm.
“They have been alerted. We need to leave quickly, or we risk being exposed.”
Bailey pried the other woman's grip off of her. “You go ahead. I must help Artemis. He's trapped. He'll die if I don't help him.”
Wendy held her back with her other hand. “I know you're anxious to save him, but we don't know what is going on inside,” she said quietly. “What if Artemis isn't the one who's trapped? If you rush back there and find out he's not in trouble, you might end up being the one who's trapped instead.”
Bailey took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm.
Calm down.
They came up with a plan before arriving there.
If an emergency arose midway and the two of them became separated, neither was allowed to take risks to rescue the other.
“Let's go. I'll bring you out first.”
“That's right. Even if Artemis is trapped inside, there's a high chance that nothing will happen to him. After all, he's changed his appearance and would be unrecognizable to anybody else. Relax. We have more important things to do. Don't let this rattle you.”
Bailey did not respond. Instead, she pulled Wendy along, blending into the crowd heading out, and made it out of the town without a hitch.
No sooner had the pair left the perimeter of the secret lookout Sofie had set up than Ken arrived with his team to rendezvous with them.
“Why is it only you and Ms. Hoffman, Mrs. Luther? Where is Mr. Luther?”
Bailey pressed her lips together. “He might be trapped inside,” she said hoarsely. “Let's wait here for him.”
Clenching his fists, Ken snatched several guns from his men and tucked them into his waistband.
“What are you doing?” Bailey demanded.
“I'm going to help Mr. Luther. He'll have a hard time getting out on his own.”
Bailey reached out to stop him, but he brushed her aside.
“Are you learning to defy me, Ken?”
Ken strode ahead, making it clear to her that he was not intending to obey her command.
A bodyguard dashed over. “All the entrances and exits of the town have been sealed off and are heavily guarded, Ken,” he reported, inclining his head. “It seems there's a traitor in their midst. Sofie has ordered a lockdown of the entire town for a thorough investigation. Now, no one can leave.”
Bailey staggered backward. Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.
This time, it was not Ken who insisted on going back, but her.
After steadying herself, she prepared to dash out.
If Sofie is planning to investigate them one at a time, then Artemis is in grave danger.
She would not leave him alone in there and face the danger on his own.
When she passed Ken, he struck her swiftly at the back of her neck.
“You—”
“Pack up. We're returning to the camp.”
“At once.”
An atmosphere of deathly stillness hung heavy over the small town.
Wearing a scowl, Sofie was standing on the steps of the courtyard entrance. Her icy gaze swept over the individuals clad in black who had been shot not far away.
“Where did they come from?”
“They were acting under the command of Mr. Doyle, Ms. Carr,” somebody reported respectfully from the bottom of the stairs. “They infiltrated our ranks in an attempt to assassinate Ms. Wendy to rob you of your most important bargaining chip.”
In a fit of rage, Sofie smashed the jade she was fiddling with in her hand.
“Investigate every single one of them! Eliminate those with an uncertain background. I will not allow any loyal to that old man to remain around me.”
“Yes, Ms. Carr.”
“Also, increase the number of guards keeping watch over that woman, Wendy. There will be no room for error. If she goes missing, you'll answer with your heads.”
“Yes, Ms. Carr.”
Bailey gradually came to inside the cabin.
After a dazed moment, her wits caught up to her, and she abruptly leaped up from the couch.
“Artemis!”
A faint scent of blood caught her attention, prompting her to head toward the door instinctively.
Through the slightly ajar cabin door, she could vaguely see Ken, with tweezers in hand, about to extract a bullet lodged in somebody's flesh.
The person who was shot was Artemis.
Tears welled up in her eyes in an instant. With a forceful push, she flung the cabin door open and threw herself at him.
“Artemis, you b*stard!”