The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 2027

Kenith walked through the door with a smile on his face. The first thing he saw was Wynter, sitting calmly in the chair.

"Well, well… What a beauty we have here. I haven't seen one like you in quite some time," he said as he strolled up to Wynter.

Her gaze deepened. "What do you want?"

He chuckled. "What do I want? Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

Wynter curled in on herself, shrinking back as if in fear. "My boyfriend's just outside. Don't come near me."

Kenith sneered, mockery dripping from every word. "Your boyfriend? Ha! He's squatting outside like a dog. This is my turf, and what happens here is mine to decide."

With that, he lunged at her.

Wynter slipped aside nimbly and kicked him square in the ribs.

Instead of anger, he laughed. "You pack quite a punch—I'll give you that. But the more you fight back, the more excited I get."

He snapped toward the doorway. "Shut the door. All of you, out to the yard. Don't get in my way!"

"Yes, Boss." The two guards at the door quickly obeyed, leaving him alone with Wynter.

Kenith rubbed his hands together, his eyes glinting with malice. "You're cornered now. There's nowhere left to run."

Wyunter straightened with a faint smile. "I never planned to run."

Caught off guard by her reply, Kenith frowned. "Are you giving up on resisting? Good. Then, get yourself on that bed and serve me properly."

But Wynter walked toward him instead. Though baffled, he thought she was surrendering and throwing herself into his arms, so he stood in place.

In a flash, she closed the distance. With her silver needle in hand, she struck it right at his throat, stopping short at a hair's breadth.

Shaken, Kenith screamed, "Wha… What are you—"

Wynter cut him off coldly, "You'd better not make a sound. If you try, this needle will be buried in your throat before your scream escapes your lips."

Kenith faltered on the spot, not daring to even twitch. It would be a shame if he got killed in the scuffle.

"Who… Who are you?" he stammered.

Her gaze was cold, and her voice colder still. "Your daddy."

"You…" He swallowed his pride and reined in his fury, wary of the needle.

Wynter leaned in closer and asked calmly, "Where's your boss?"

His eyes flickered. "The boss? So, that's what this is about. You're after him. Ha. You'll never hear it from me."

His response made Wynter drop her hand to his shoulder and exert some pressure. Kenith broke out in a cold sweat from the crushing weight and pain.

"My patience is limited. Choose your words carefully, or else…" She leaned in closer to his ear and whispered, "This same day next year will be your death anniversary."

He could feel the seriousness of her threat. His eyes popped wide open from the pain in his dislocated shoulder joint.

"Pretty… I mean, miss, let's talk things out, shall we?"

Wynter's eyes narrowed as she repeated, "Where's your boss?"

"I don't know."

Just as those words left his lips, Wynter pressed harder. "Not talking? Then, you can taste something worse than death."

Kenith looked up at her and noticed she had a few more silver needles in her hand, casually aimed at his acupuncture points.

"Since you're of no value, there's no reason to keep you alive, right? Inserting the needle into these points won't kill you, but it'll put you in a vegetative state."

Terrified, Kenith begged, "No, no! Please, stop! I'll talk! The boss… He said he's coming today to check on our profits."

"When?"

"In half an hour, maybe less… Please, I've told you everything. Please take the needle away…"

Wynter lowered her gaze. "You have no right to bargain with me."

With that, she chopped sharply at his neck, and he slumped into unconsciousness.

Wynter's eyes swept across the room. The table was packed with documents, mostly scripts and related materials. Against the wall also stood a locked cabinet.

She rifled through Kenith's pockets, found a key, and fit it into the lock. It clicked open.

…

Meanwhile, out in the courtyard, Frankie's voice thundered.

"Listen up! I've handed out the sales script to all of you. Memorize every damn word. Starting tomorrow, each of you has to get five targets per day. If you fail, you'll be punished with whips and electric shocks!"

His taser's sizzle split the air, crackling threateningly.

Dalton and Wolf squatted among the others. However, they seemed to stand out like a sore thumb.

According to the plan, Wynter was tasked with subduing Kenith and gathering intelligence. Meanwhile, Dalton and Wolf would blend in with the victims. Once they got the signal from Wynter, Wolf would jump into action.

"What's wrong with both of you? Not even a hint of fear? Do you think I'm bluffing?" Frankie walked up to them to take a closer look, having noticed the lack of fear in Dalton and Wolf.

His gaze was fixed on Dalton as he jabbed his taser into a random person by his side. The man writhed, screaming and rolling across the ground.

Wolf's expression hardened, tempted to strike back. However, Dalton caught his arm and pulled him back, meeting Frankie's gaze instead.

"We're scared, but feeling scared doesn't help us in any way. We'll do whatever you say. Just don't hurt us."

Hearing Dalton's submission, Frankie burst out laughing. "I don't like your face. You'd better pray I don't catch you playing games, or I'll shock you until you foam at the mouth."

Dalton nodded. "Understood."

Frankie turned away. "Take them inside. Get the new ones trained up by the veterans. As for the women, get them dressed. Let Ruby show them the ropes. The sooner they start earning, the better."

…

At the same time, in the building, Wynter opened the cabinet. There were some invoices, daily profit logs, and random trinkets.

When she got to the second drawer, she saw a photograph. It showed Kenith, Frankie, and a third man whose face had been deliberately scratched out.

She tucked it all away, then went to the doorway and scanned the layout. The first floor seemed to be rooms for the ringleaders, and the courtyard a place to train the new captives. As for the second floor, that was the fraud ring's operations hub.

Just as she was done scanning the layout, her phone buzzed. Noticing who was calling, she quickly answered the call.

"I'll never trust anyone again. I just want to go home!"

Scars and bruises marked nearly every body, a reminder of their punishment.

The commander nodded firmly. "Rest assured. You'll be sent back safely. As for these criminals, they'll face the full weight of the law."

The commander turned to her. "By the way, my name is Hyrum Grover. This den is completely cleared. Do you think there's more to do here?"

Wynter replied casually, "You're in charge. We're here only to assist, so we'll follow your lead."

Hyrum chuckled softly. "Alright. Then, I'll have these victims escorted to the embassy, where arrangements will be made to send them home."

She looked up, her gaze turning cold. "There are a few things I'd like to ask you first."

"Of course." Hyrum signaled for chairs, then gestured politely. "Let's sit and talk."

He then turned to his men. "Escort these people to the embassy."

"What about you, sir? There are matters at the bureau requiring your attention," said the officer by his side.

Hyrum shook his head. "I have guests from afar. It's my duty to accompany them. Besides, this mission came directly from the top."

"Understood, sir. I'll handle this." With that, the officer turned to leave.

Wynter and Hyrum sat facing each other at the edge of the courtyard. She asked, "How did you arrive so quickly?"

Her eyes gleamed faintly. "I see…"

"Are you suspecting I had advance notice?" Hyrum raised his brows, feigning confusion, before continuing, "This mission came straight from my superiors. You're welcome to verify it."

Wynter gave a casual shrug. "That's not what I meant. I was just curious. Don't take it to heart."

Hyrum's voice relaxed. "Fair enough. Then, why don't you and your companions leave with me? My orders are to protect you and make sure you're received properly."

Wynter's gaze cut sideways. "Now's not the time. There must be other dens. They should be rooted out together, or the scams will simply continue."

He hesitated. "I don't have an issue with that, but these places are hidden well. We've searched multiple times in the past, but always came up empty. Eventually, the effort was abandoned."

"Where there's a will, there's a way. I trust you'll find it, Mr. Grover."

She wasn't surprised by his response in the slightest. If they knew the location of all the dens, there wouldn't have been so many people falling victim to these scams.

However, there was another possibility—the fraud ring's dens might be operating in plain view. They might have simply paid a bribe through a certain channel and had the authorities avoid the dens' locations in their searches.

Hyrum sighed. "Very well. We'll search again. Hopefully, with you here, our luck will turn."

Wynter nodded. "I'll do my best to help in the search."

He rose to give the order, leaving Wynter and her companions waiting.

But her thoughts remained elsewhere. Kenith's words echoed in her mind. He had mentioned that the boss would be back in half an hour. Yet, no stranger had appeared until now, nor did she notice any vehicles approaching this place.

Unless… the boss had been warned and chose not to come. Or worse, he had come and slipped past unseen.