Callie felt a sudden panic. “Do you know what Owen did in the basement today?”
This surprised Jaquan. “What do you mean?”
“I saw Owen today. He was wearing a mask and had a little girl with him who called him dad. Does he have a daughter?” Callie revealed everything.
She was very calm, but Jaquan was flustered. He grabbed her arm and looked her over, only relaxing when he saw no injuries.
“Owen always appears in different identities. Sometimes he’s an elderly man, other times a tall young man. Only Sullivan might know his true appearance.”
Jaquan leaned against the window, extremely calm. “As for the girl, she’s adopted.”
“Adopted,” Callie murmured. “Why would he adopt a child? Does this mean he has a weakness?”
Hearing this, Jaquan’s gaze turned playful. “You’ve learned a lot from Nelson.”
He was best at using others’ weaknesses to threaten them.
Callie was taken aback; she hadn’t realized how much she had become like Nelson.
She changed the subject. “Why do you suddenly want to send me away? I told you, I can’t leave without finding Reuben.”
Jaquan lit a cigarette, the smoke drifting into the air.
“Callie, you’re oversimplifying things. You’ve come this far without finding Reuben; you won’t find him anytime soon. It’s better to go back to Ylosea where Nelson can protect you. At least you’ll be safe and can slowly gather clues.”
He weighed the pros and cons for her very well. Callie understood that her life was important right now, but… “What about you? Will you come with me?”
“I can’t leave. I’ve worked hard to get this far; I need to go back and apologize to him.”
Go back? Callie was anxious. “I saw him punishing the bodyguards today; each one had a finger broken. If you defy him like this, he’ll kill you.”
She instinctively took two steps forward, trying to dissuade him.
He took another drag of his cigarette, maintaining his usual nonchalant demeanor. “Will you avenge me if I die?”
Callie was frantic and pushed him. “If you go back, I won’t even collect your body!”
Jaquan smiled, his eyes filled with coldness. “Trust me, Callie, I won’t die.”
Her heart tightened.
It seemed Jaquan had everything planned out. As night fell, he disguised himself and led her through the increasingly busy crowd, leaving Dragonstone.
The rain was relentless. Sharing an umbrella, they spoke in low voices. “Jaquan, you have to come back so I can repay this favor.”
His large hand gripped the umbrella handle as raindrops slid between his fingers. “Of course, I’m still waiting for you to get divorced.”
This time, Callie didn’t scold him; her mood was heavy.
At the exit of Dragonstone’s back door, a tall bodyguard had been waiting for a long time. As they approached, he respectfully greeted, “Jaquan.”
Jaquan spoke in a deep voice, “Luca, how have I treated you?”
Luca immediately straightened up. “Jaquan, you’ve treated me very well.”
“I’ll remember your favor today.”
Luca turned and walked a short distance away, calling out to the remaining bodyguards. “You must be hungry. I’ve ordered food for everyone; let’s find a place to rest.”
“Thanks, Luca!” The group followed him, finding shelter under an eave to eat.
Jaquan and Callie got into a car that had been prepared in advance and drove away without any obstacles. “Someone will meet you at the highway entrance.”