Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Xander instinctively took a step back, and then it hit him. ‘Why should I listen to her?’ he thought, a bit annoyed.

But Sebastian’s wheelchair had already rolled past him, and he’d totally missed his chance to greet him.

Still, Xander thought, ‘If I’m not mistaken, that cherubic little boy sitting on Sebastian’s lap must be the very child pulled from his sister-in-law’s womb after that infamous car crash years ago.

Meanwhile, when Blake saw Kendrick, his face darkened, radiating rejection. “Take a good look at me. Happy with what you see now?” Blake snapped, every word sharp as a blade.

“Blake, Grandpa is just…” Xander frowned, about to step in and smooth things over like he always did, but before he could, a figure with a dangerous, rebellious energy strolled past. Before anyone could react, she kicked Blake hard in the back of the knees.

Blake’s knees buckled from the pain, and he dropped right in front of Kendrick. He cursed, “Damn it. You-”

Stella, expressionless, had one hand in her pocket and gave Blake a loud smack on the back of his head with the other. The sound made everyone wince in sympathy.

“Yeah? What?” Stella arched an eyebrow, her tone flat.

The Pierces were all stunned. Everyone in Haliville knew Blake was an unruly, unmanageable troublemaker. No one had ever dared put him in his place like this. Some expected bloodshed.

But instead of his usual cocky attitude, Blake just clutched his head, looking like a kicked puppy, not daring to utter a word.

“Apologize to your grandpa for all the mess you made,” Stella said, giving Blake a kick with the tip of her shoe. That dark, dangerous aura of hers was back.

“I” Blake tried to act tough, desperate to salvage his fragile pride, but when he saw Stella slowly raise her hand again, his eyes widened in panic. The protest died on his lips, and he chickened out instantly.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, voice barely audible.

“Louder,” Stella said, getting impatient.

“I’m sorry!” Blake shouted so loudly that it felt like the birds on the precinct roof would scatter.

Kendrick and the rest of the Pierces were all speechless. ‘If you’d just held out a bit longer, we might’ve actually thought you had some guts,’ someone mused.

Blake thought, ‘You guys have no idea. She doesn’t play around. She’ll actually go all out and beat me up. Dignity? Pride? Neither of them means squat.’

Colten Lowe, the commissioner of the Haliville Police Department, cleared his throat, snapping everyone back to reality. “Ms. Carter, you said Blake and the others weren’t involved with drugs. Do you have proof?”

Colten had been transferred from Jaffina a few years back to “keep watch” over Haliville. At least, that was the official story. His true purpose remained unknown.

Colten was famous for being principled. Without solid evidence, even Sebastian’s influence wouldn’t sway him on a drug charge.

Stella glanced up at him. “Yeah, I do.”

Xander racked his brain. ‘Carter? Is there a Carter family in Haliville powerful enough to be tied to someone like Sebastian?’

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Chapter 37

Then he realized she was saying she had proof that Blake wasn’t mixed up in drugs.

“Ms. Carter, you can’t just throw claims around like that,” Xander said, acting like he was looking out for her.

Stella just gave him a look that was half-amused, half-mocking.

“The surveillance cameras at the Greenleaf Club had some issues, and some footage is missing,” Xander added.

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Just one glance from her eyes, and Xander felt she’d seen right through him. A chill ran down his spine, and his hands went clammy.

Stella didn’t have to ask to know the missing footage was definitely the part showing Blake in the private room.

Lucas, perched on Sebastian’s lap, yawned, looking sweet and adorable.

Stella’s eyes narrowed when she saw that. Ignoring Xander completely, she headed straight for the only powered-on computer in the lobby, intent on wrapping this up and getting Lucas home to bed.

“What are you-” Bruce started, but Allan cut him off with a casual wave. Allan had no clue what Stella was about to do, but he just had a feeling that it would be entertaining.

And it was. Stella’s fingers flew across the keyboard, the screen’s glow lighting up her cold, delicate face. Almost instantly, all the LED displays in the lobby mirrored whatever was on the computer in front of her.

But just as quickly, the screens went dark again, and strings of white code flashed across them at lightning speed, making everyone’s heads spin. The only sound was the crisp, rapid clack of her touch-typing.

The young guys, who’d been squatting dejectedly in the corner, all looked up, jaws dropping. ‘Whoa, her speed is insane!” one of them thought.

Stella typed “kill” calmly, hit Enter with a decisive click, and every screen flickered back to life. In a split second, control of the Greenleaf Club’s main surveillance system had been hacked and rerouted straight to the precinct.

“Oh-” Blake started to curse, but swallowed it when Stella’s cold gaze landed on him. He could only stare up at the screens, watching the live feed from the club. It was the first time he’d ever seen a hacker at work.

“That’s impressive, but what does it prove?” Colten asked. With the most important footage still gone, Blake remained a

suspect.

Penelope instinctively glanced at Xander, who shot her a reassuring look. But before she could even breathe easy, Stella’s voice rang out, so calm that it was almost cocky.

“I fixed it,” Stella announced. For a moment, everyone just froze, holding their breath.

“You fixed it?” Blake gawked, jaw nearly hitting the floor. ‘She just tapped away for a few seconds, and the footage is back?’ he thought.

“Even so, it’s just hallway footage. We still can’t see inside the private room, so there’s no way to clear Blake,” Xander said. As soon as he finished, Stella glanced up at him.

Her gaze was lazy and utterly dismissive, as if he were a fool.

“The Pierce family is the actual owner of the Greenleaf Club. Are you telling me that you don’t know the most secure, most private club in Haliville, the one all the rich and powerful flock to, has a double set of surveillance systems?” Stella said.

Stella’s words landed like a thunderclap, stunning everyone. And just then, on the LED screens, crystal-clear footage of the club room now played: a bartender, still in his uniform, was clearly seen slipping three small bags of white powder beneath

the couch.

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Chapter 37

“Are you still thinking about ratting out to the Grays after leaving this place?” Stella turned to Penelope, moving with that casual swagger. But the implication in her words was a noose tightening around Penelope’s neck.

If the rich and powerful discovered that the private rooms of the Greenleaf Club were monitored, and the Pierce family had been collecting their secrets, every major family in Haliville would unite to destroy them.

It was the most direct warning from Stella.

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