Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1365

Lucas didn't linger in Bella's hotel room. He left early to rendezvous at the hospital with the other surviving member of their escort crew.

The Grand Sapphire Casino had dispatched three men for the transfer. One was dead, one was injured, and Lucas hadn't suffered a single scratch.

When the injured enforcer, who had been knocked out by the airbag, finally regained consciousness in his hospital bed, Lucas was sitting right beside him.

The blunt trauma had knocked him out at the exact moment of the fatal impact.

Hearing Lucas recount how Elias Ashford in the passenger seat and the enforcer in the back had been killed instantly, the driver went pale with retrospective terror.

"Five of us in that car, and only we made it out. What about Debbie?" he rasped.

"Taken by someone and rushed to a hospital, I guess," Lucas lied smoothly. "She took a nasty hit during the crash. No idea if she's dead or alive.

"We're the lucky ones, man. Your side didn't take a direct hit from that truck; you just got knocked out. Thank God you aren't badly hurt."

"It's so weird, though," the driver muttered, rubbing his temple. "Why did that massive truck just slam on its brakes right in front of us? I swear, the whole thing feels off."

Before he could spiral into suspicion, Julian Reed, the boss of the casino, strode into the room.

"Good to see you're alive. This whole operation went to hell," Mr. Reed spat.

"What's wrong, Boss?" the driver asked.

Mr. Reed cursed under his breath. "Mr. Ashford is dead, and Debbie is clinging to life by a thread. Not only are we not getting the final payout from the Blake family, but we also have to cough up a massive compensation check to Mr. Ashford's family.

"The Blakes will pay their share, sure, but they're processing The $600 Million Ashford Refund straight back to their own accounts. None of that cash is coming to our casino.

"I called Mr. Ashford's son, and he confirmed they returned the remaining balance to the Blakes.

He had been terrified of an all-out investigation that could lead back to Bella's botched kidnapping.

Lucas nodded, raising a hand in a solemn vow. "Don't worry, Mr. Reed. My lips are sealed."

Mr. Reed didn't stick around, storming out to handle the ongoing disaster.

Lucas waited a beat before standing up. "Look, man, I'm so exhausted I could sleep standing up, but every time I close my eyes, I see Mr. Ashford's head flying across the dashboard. I need to go back, take a scorching shower, and burn these clothes. I swear I can still smell the blood."

"Go ahead," the driver sighed. "I'm fine here. Just sucks that our commission on the $800 million demand went up in smoke.

"An eight-hundred-grand cut would have been sweet right about now."

Lucas couldn't have cared less about the casino's commission. His only priority was figuring out a way to exploit the fact that he was already inside the very same hospital, probing for an opening to check on Debbie's status.