Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 268

LEONIE’S POV

I paced back and forth across the soft rug in Julian’s living room, staring down at my phone.

Panic was starting to bubble up in my chest.

Anna hadn’t called me all morning, and she wasn’t answering any of my calls either. Every single attempt went straig voicemail.

Did she get caught? Did Brandon’s men grab her? If Anna was in police custody, it was only a matter of time before sh opened her mouth and gave my name to the cops.

Just as I was about to dial her number again, my phone suddenly burst into life, ringing violently in my hand. I quickl answered it, putting it to my ear.

“Anna? Where the hell have you-”

“You crazy bitch,” a rough, furious voice roared down the line. It wasn’t Anna. It was the leader of the men I had paid to kidnap Amelia. “You didn’t say anything about us going up against The Phantom Don. Half my men are wiped out or ir handcuffs because of you. You set us up.”

I rolled my eyes, my voice dropping into a cold, sharp sneer. “Calm the fuck down. You knew the risks before job, didn’t you? Besides, I paid you off already. You got your money, so stop whining like a damn child.”

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Before he could yell back, I slammed the end-call button and hurled the phone across the room. It shattered against the wall, dropping onto the floor in pieces.

“Useless idiots,” I muttered, crossing my arms in disgust. My father had given me their contacts, promising me they were best money could buy. I didn’t think they would turn out to be so completely useless.

I knew the law was closing in on me now, but I wasn’t going to run away like a scared animal in the dark. I was a Vance. If I was going to leave, I wanted to look Aria in the eyes first. I wanted her to think she had won.

When the heavy knocks echoed at Julian’s front door a few minutes later, I didn’t hide. I stood right in the middle of the room, watching Julian open the door.

Aria walked in, her head held high, with that towering guard Anthony right behind her and two police officers on her heels. Aria’s eyes locked onto mine, cold and full of hatred. “I’m here for Leonie,” she told Julian.

I folded my arms, stepping forward with a small, mocking smile. “Aria,” I said smoothly. “What is all this? Did you bring the whole police department just to see me?”

“You’re done, Leonie,” Aria said, taking a step toward me. “Anna confessed to everything. She told us about the kidnapping at the school, the corporate leaks-all of it. It all leads back to you.”

“Anna?” I laughed softly, shaking my head like she was crazy. “I don’t know who that is. I don’t know any Anna, and I certainly never tried to hurt a child. You are making things up, Aria.”

‘Stop lying. Aria yelled, her voice shaking with rage. “You tried to take my daughter away from me.”

I turned to Julian, who was standing there pale, confused, and trembling.

Julian, look at her,” I said softly, grabbing his arm and looking into his eyes. “I did this for you. I only wanted to bring Amelta back to you. She’s your daughter. You told me how much you missed her, how Aria took her away and gave her to Brandon. She replaced you in Amelia’s life and I was just trying to bring your family back together.

He stepped in front of me, glaring at Aria. “She’s right, Aria!” Julian shouted. “If you didn’t take Amelia away from me, Leon wouldn’t have done any of this. She was just trying to get my daughter back to her father. This is all your fault. You kept my child from me.”

Aria stared at Julian like he was a complete stranger. Her face turned cold as ice. “You are a sorry excuse for a/father, Julan,” Aria said quietly, her words cutting through the room like a knife. “You are letting a crazy woman trick you into thinking it’ okay to kidnap our daughter. You make me sick.”

She turned back to me. “You can lie all you want, Leonie. You’re not getting away with this.”

The lead police officer stepped up, pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. “Leonie Vance, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Put your hands behind your back.”

“You can’t do this,” Julian yelled, trying to step between us. “She was just helping me-”

“Don’t move,” one of the cops barked, pushing Julian back hard. The other officer grabbed my wrists and slammed the cold steel cuffs onto me.

He sneered, laughing right in my face. “Save the tears for the judge, rich girl. You’re not so high and mighty now, are you? Let’s see how long your fancy clothes last in a cell.”

Julian tried to step forward again, but Aria looked at him with pure disgust. “If you try to help her, Julian, I will make sure your family’s company and your whole ice hockey career are ruined forever. Don’t test me. Step back.”

Julian froze. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He slowly backed away, looking down at the floor like a coward.

The officers started pulling me toward the door. As I passed Aria, I leaned in close to her ear, my smile fading into a dark whisper. “Enjoy today, Aria. It’s not over. I will be back.”

The police van rattled as it drove down the street. The two officers in the back kept laughing and taunting me.

“Look at her,” one cop mocked, pointing at me. “The big CEO’s daughter, riding in the back of a paddy wagon. Daddy can’t buy your way out of this one.”

“Yeah,” the other cop chuckled. “You’re going away for a long time, sweetie.” I just stared at them, keeping my mouth shut. Suddenly, a loud siren blared outside, followed by the sound of screeching tires.

Before the cops could react, three large, black, unidentified SUVS sped out of nowhere, blocking the road ahead. A heavy armored truck slammed right into the front of our police van with a deafening crash.

Glass shattered everywhere. The van spun around and slammed into a wall, throwing the officers off their seats.

Outside, gunshots echoed through the air. A whole squad of men dressed in black tactical gear jumped out of the SUVs, ‘surrounded the crashed police van, and ripped the back doors off with a crowbar.

My father stepped through the smoke, holding a gun in his hand, his face stern and cold. “Dad!” I gasped, letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Did you really think I’d let my daughter go to jail?” Dad said, pulling a key from his pocket and quickly unlocking my handcuffs. “Move. We don’t have much time.”

I scrambled out of the ruined van, stepping over the dazed officers His men surrounded us, firing shots into the air to keep anyone from coming close as they rushed us into the middle black SUV.

The doors slammed shut, and the fleet of unidentified vehicles sped away into the traffic, leaving the chaos behind

Once we were safe inside the tinted car heading toward the docks, Dad poured two glasses of drink and handed one to me

“The police are going to be searching everywhere for you,” Dad said, his eyes hard. “I have a private boat waiting at the docks. It will take you to our private island. It’s far away, completely off the grid. No police can reach you there. You needst stay quiet and lay low.”

“Dad, I need a favor from you,” I interrupted, looking him dead in the eye. “Keep a close eye on Julian, Aria, and their little brat. I want to know every single move they make. When the time is right, I will strike.”

Dad let out a loud, proud laugh, patting my shoulder. “That’s my girl.” By the time the boat reached our family’s private island late that night, the stress of the day had worn me down completely.

The island was fully prepared, with enough staff lined up outside the grand villa to cater to my every need.

The moment I stepped onto the terrace, my mother rushed forward, pulling me into a tight, desperate hug.

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