While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 The Hunt Begins

The unknown number flashed on her screen.

Veyra’s finger hovered over the answer button. Her heart was pounding. The car was dark. The road was empty. The driver was watching her in the rearview mirror.

She answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this the woman who put up the flyers?" A young voice. Female. Urgent. "The missing little girl? The man in the mask?"

Veyra sat up straight. "Yes. This is her. Do you have information?"

"I work at the coffee kiosk on Third Avenue. The one near the park. You came by this afternoon with the flyers."

"I remember."

"Well, about twenty minutes ago, an older woman came in. She saw the flyer on our window. She said she saw a man matching that description. And a little girl. Dark hair. Dark eyes. About this tall." The woman’s voice was excited. "The older woman said they were at the Greenery Villas. She saw them going into one of the houses."

Veyra’s heart leaped.

"Greenery Villas?" she repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. The woman was very specific. She said the little girl looked scared. She wanted to call the police but didn’t know if she should get involved. I told her I would call the number on the flyer."

"Thank you," Veyra said. "Thank you so much."

She hung up. Her hands were shaking. But not from fear. From hope.

Lily was alive. Someone had seen her.

She pulled up the map on her phone. Typed in "Greenery Villas."

The location was on the east side of the city. The complete opposite direction from where she was heading. The kidnapper’s coordinates had been for South Ring Road. A remote area. Isolated.

This was a trap.

She knew it now. Eleanor had sent her on a wild goose chase. South Ring Road was probably empty. Or worse, full of people waiting to hurt her.

But Greenery Villas was real. Someone had seen Lily there.

She made a decision.

"Sir," she said to the driver. "I need to change the address."

The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Change it to where?"

She showed him the map. "Greenery Villas. East side."

He frowned. "That’s the other direction. We’re almost at South Ring Road."

"I know. I need you to take me to Greenery Villas instead."

He hesitated. "That’s going to add another forty minutes. Maybe more with traffic."

"I’ll pay you double. Triple. Whatever you want. Just take me there."

He shrugged. "It’s your money."

He pulled over to reprogram the GPS.

They had been driving for ten minutes when Veyra noticed the headlights behind them.

The same set of lights. Staying the same distance. Not passing. Not falling back.

She had been so focused on getting to Lily that she had not been paying attention to anything else. But now she watched. The car behind them matched every turn. Every lane change.

Someone was following her.

She thought about Eleanor. About the trap. About the message that had said come alone, no police, no bodyguards. Eleanor had probably expected her to follow the original coordinates. She had probably posted people along that route to make sure Veyra did not change direction.

But Veyra had changed direction.

And now someone was following her.

"Sir," she said to the driver. "I need you to make a turn at the next intersection. Then pull over somewhere quiet."

The driver glanced at her. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I just need to get out."

He did not argue. He turned at the next intersection. The road was darker here. Fewer streetlights. More trees.

He pulled over at a small parking lot next to a closed gas station.

Veyra handed him a wad of cash. More than enough. "Wait for me here. If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, leave. Don’t wait."

His eyes widened. "Miss, what’s going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just wait."

She got out of the car. She ducked behind a large billboard at the edge of the parking lot. The metal frame was cold against her back. She pressed herself against it and waited.

The black car appeared. It slowed down. It passed the parking lot. It kept going.

Veyra let out a breath.

She walked back to the driver’s window. "Keep going straight. Don’t look back. Don’t stop until you reach Greenery Villas."

"What about you?"

"I’ll find my own way."

She turned and walked toward the main road. Behind her, the driver pulled away. His taillights disappeared into the darkness.

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