Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert) novel Chapter 351

Sylvia Lloyd felt her legs give out beneath her. As her eyes fluttered shut, the last thing she saw was a pitch-black motorcycle helmet.

The man glanced down at Sylvia’s crumpled form, pocketing the empty syringe. He let out a low chuckle. “Trust me, I’m not the only one who wants you dead. So long, Sylvia.”

…

Rupert Garcia strode through the automatic doors, balancing a bag of takeout—cheeseburgers and fries—on one arm. He paused at the doorway to Sylvia’s hospital room, only to find it empty, the bedsheets undisturbed, the air stale and lifeless.

He spun around and landed a punch squarely on his bodyguard’s jaw.

“This is what you call protection?” Rupert’s voice was icy.

“S-sorry, Mr. Garcia, I just stepped out for the restroom,” the guard stammered, clutching his face.

“Who’s been here?”

“That woman you helped—Mrs. Carter—and her son. I checked with the nurses; they said Ms. Lloyd went downstairs to find them just a few minutes ago…”

Before the guard could finish, Rupert was already storming off.

Downstairs, Mrs. Carter and her young son were shuffling wearily through the lobby, hand-in-hand. When they saw Rupert charging toward them, they nearly jumped out of their skins.

“Where’s Sylvia?” Rupert barked, not bothering with pleasantries.

“She… isn’t she upstairs resting?” Mrs. Carter stuttered, eyes wide.

Just then, her son Jayson wrenched free from her grasp, dropping to his knees to scoop up a beetle crawling across the floor.

“Mom, how did Blackie get here? I gave him to Sylvia to keep her safe!”

Rupert knelt, following the trail of the insect’s tiny footprints. Grim-faced, he ducked into the stairwell. At the first-floor landing, he spotted a small wicker basket—Jayson’s gift.

“That was for Sylvia!” Jayson protested, pointing at the basket.

Rupert picked it up, glancing at Orson, his right-hand man.

Orson nodded, signaling his team to sweep the area. Minutes later, they returned, having discovered a used syringe tossed in a dumpster out back.

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