Unwanted Blood (Harper) novel Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The market grew packed, and we managed to snag a small table by the window at a seafood restaurant overlooking the docks. The noise of clinking silverware and chatter was deafening.

“I need to use the restroom,” Lily said, sliding out of the booth. “Don’t eat all the chips.”

“I’m going to grab the drinks from the counter,” Ethan added, standing up right after her.

I was left alone, sitting by the heavy glass pane, watching the seagulls circle over the gray water outside.

That was when I saw him.

Marcus stood directly outside the window, less than three feet away from me, smiling at me through the glass. He had changed into a clean, navy blue wool coat and had taken off his black hat, revealing a thick head of graying hair.

He didn’t look like the grease-stained monster from the dark hallway anymore. He looked like an ordinary, respectable middle-aged man out for a weekend stroll.

But those eyes…the same pale, dead eyes from last night, sent a violent chill straight down my spine. My lungs seized.

He didn’t move. He just stood there in the crowd, hands loose at his sides, watching me with a small pull at the corner of his mouth.

His lips twitching slightly as he mouthed four distinct words.

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“I’m waiting for you.”

My whole body went rigid, my fingers locking around the edge of the table so hard my nails turned white.

Ethan returned a second later, a tray of sodas in his hands. He took one look at my face, followed my frozen gaze out the window, and his expression dropped instantly.

He set the drinks down, “He’s here,” Ethan hissed, his chest heaving as he turned toward the exit. He was about to rush out the door.

I lunged across the table and grabbed his sleeve, my grip desperate. “Don’t go. Ethan, don’t.”

“Harper, he’s right there—”

“He did it on purpose,” I said. My voice was calmer than I expected it to be. “The fact that he dared to show up here, in broad daylight, surrounded by hundreds of people, means he isn’t afraid of us calling the police. He has a new identity. If you lay a hand on him out there, he’ll sue you. He wants a scene.”

Ethan’s jaw was so tight I could see the muscle working in his cheek. His eyes stayed fixed on the window.

But Marcus was already gone. He had turned around and walked away at a leisurely, unhurried pace, his navy coat blending into the sea of tourists until he disappeared into the crowd.

Like he’d never been there.

When we returned to the residential area near the community center that evening, the rain had started again. Standing near the entrance of the courtyard was Ryder.

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Chapter 19

He was leaning against the side of a black sedan, holding a thick, manйa envelope in his hand. His eyes were heavily bloodshot, the dark circles underneath them deeper than before. He had clearly not slept all night.

He saw me walking between Lily and Ethan and immediately straightened up, hurrying over to meet us.

“I’ve found some information,” he said without preamble, handing the heavy envelope toward me. I didn’t take it, so Ethan reached out and snatched it from his hand.

Ryder didn’t seem to care. His face was pale. “Behind Marcus… It’s the Westbrook family.”

“Westbrook?” I muttered, the name completely unfamiliar..

“Our business rivals,” Ryder said, “They’ve been our archrivals for twenty years, since Dad first expanded the firm. They’ve always wanted to take over Wilson’s logistics business.”

He paused, looking directly into my eyes. “That thing with Mom back then… the assault… I now suspect this wasn’t a random crime. Marcus may have been sent there by them from the very beginning. To destroy our family from the inside.”

I was stunned. The air felt like it had been sucked from the street. Sixteen years of hatred, sixteen years of being called a curse because of a random act of violence, and now he was telling me it was a corporate hit?

“Then why don’t you just call the police and have him arrested?” Lily couldn’t help but shout, her voice raw with frustration. “If you know who he is, lock him up!”

Ryder gave a small, wry smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Because Westbrook has the best legal team in the country, Lily. And Marcus is

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