Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 118

Steve showing up right at that moment was absolutely no coincidence.

She wanted to find out exactly what kind of game he was playing.

[Got it. Give me five minutes.]

Exactly five minutes later—not a second more, not a second less—Norma's reply came through.

[Found him, Stella. Steve. Citizen of Mistralia Country. Thirty-five years old. Seventh-degree black belt in karate. Competed in numerous tournaments in Mistralia and took down a lot of heavy hitters. He suddenly dropped out of the competitive circuit, and it's unclear who he works for now.]

Seventh-degree black belt?

The highest rank in karate was a ninth-degree black belt. For Steve to reach the seventh degree at his age meant he was exceptionally lethal.

No wonder Wilson kept him so close.

[You don't know who he works for?]

[Right. His paper trail completely vanishes after he quit competing. Someone wiped his tracks clean. If you really want me to dig into his current employer, it's going to take some specialized digging and a bit of time. Are you sure you want me to pursue this?]

[I'm sure. Let me know the second you find anything.]

[Will do.]

She had a gut feeling this Steve character wasn't just some random thug, and her instincts were telling her that his little stunt yesterday was an actual attack. She was never wrong about these things.

If Norma couldn't track down his employer, she'd have to call in a favor from her senior martial brother.

But she didn't want to bother him unless it was an absolute emergency.

Julius walked out of the bathroom just as she closed out her chat with Norma.

"What are you up to? Your turn to shower."

"Just playing a game."

Julius glanced at her completely blank screen. "You're that good, huh? You can game on a black screen?"

"Oh, I have a privacy screen protector on. You just can't see it from that angle."

Julius reached over and gave her cheek a gentle, affectionate pinch. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Privacy screens block the view from the sides. I'm standing directly in front of you."

It didn't take long for him to spot something suspicious. Wilson had leaned in to whisper something to his subordinate on three separate occasions. What was he saying?

Whatever it was, the secrecy meant it couldn't have been anything good.

"The first time was definitely ordering a background check on Stella. The second time was sending someone to buy those flowers. So, what was the third order?"

Julius murmured the thoughts aloud to himself.

He kept scanning the footage, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits when he watched Stella waiting for him by the side entrance.

"Isn't that hulking idiot the exact same guy the braided girl completely humiliated at the Recess Club? What is Steve doing here?"

And judging by the angle of his approach, he was absolutely trying to sneak up behind Stella, likely to knock her out and abduct her.

Why did he want to knock her out?

Where was he planning to take her?

What was his end game?