The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 620

A beat of dead silence hung on the line. "Whose men? Logan's?"

"Most likely." Julian paused. "Lawrence Lancaster doesn't operate like this. If he wanted me gone, he wouldn't use gutter tactics."

Sebastian didn't reply immediately. Julian could hear the faint, calculated rhythm of his breathing as he processed the board.

"What about Alissa?" Sebastian asked.

"I've deployed an extraction team. They're moving her to a secure location." Julian lowered his voice even further. "But Logan's hit squad has already tracked her down. She's sitting on explosive intel—something directly related to Mr. Vance. Logan is rabid right now; he wants to make an example out of her."

Sebastian went quiet for two seconds. "What exactly did she say?"

"She claimed our entire investigation into Mr. Vance is a dead end because we don't even know who we're actually looking for." Julian's tone grew razor-sharp. "She wouldn't elaborate. She's holding out until we get her to safety."

"Send me her coordinates. I'm dispatching my own operatives to reinforce your team."

"Done."

Julian ended the call and fired off the address. Then, he immediately dialed the point man of the extraction team he had just sent in.

"Julian, we're en route. ETA is twenty minutes."

"When you arrive, do not use the main entrance. Breach through the back. Secure the package and extract immediately. Logan's squad might already be in position."

"Copy that."

Julian pocketed his phone and stepped out of the elevator into the hotel lobby. Night had fully claimed the city. Streetlamps cast long shadows over the sidewalks, and a few pedestrians shuffled past the glass doors. It looked like an ordinary evening, but he knew killers were lurking in the dark, waiting for him to slip up.

Taking a steadying breath, he turned and walked purposefully toward the concierge desk. "I need a cab. Have it wait at the rear exit."

The concierge gave a curt nod and picked up a radio.

Julian navigated the hotel corridors and slipped out through the heavy steel doors of the service exit. A yellow taxi was already idling in the alleyway. He ducked inside and rattled off the name of a different hotel across town. As the tires squealed against the pavement, he glanced out the rear window toward the main entrance. He couldn't spot the hitmen, but he knew they were out there. The alley, however, was clear.

He faced forward, sinking deeply into the cracked leather seat. His phone buzzed in his pocket. A text from Sebastian.

[My men are moving to secure Alissa. Watch your own back. Keep comms open.]

Julian typed a quick reply.

[Understood.]