"I'll break down your walls one by one and sneak into the gates of your icy heart before crushing it into tiny pieces." He murmurs mercilessly as his lips lightly brush my ear, the contact eliciting an indescribable sensation through every inch of m...
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Under the midnight sky, he hastily pulls up in a deserted parking lot.
With trembling hands, he clutches the steering wheel.
It had to be done. I had no other choice.
He repeats the silent mantra to calm whatever's left of his conscience.
From the side-view mirror, he detects headlights.
His posture stiffens at the sight of the approaching black van before it comes to an abrupt halt.
Once he spots the driver of the van stepping out of the vehicle, he storms out, his eyes blazing with fury.
"I did what you asked me to!" Landford snarls in disdain, "It's your turn to hold your end of the bargain."
Dixon wears a poker face as familiar thoughts cross his mind.
Humans can be incredibly weak in times of danger.
How pathetic.
"Your performance was subpar," Dixon taunts, "You failed to finish the job."
Incredulity transforms Landford's face.
"What the hell are you talking about?! That wasn't part of the deal!" Landford hollers, flabbergasted by the last words he expected to hear.
"The deal was to neutralize the target and suspend her investigation once and for all," Dixon recounts in condescension as he adjusts his black gloves, "but you failed to do that."
Every last ounce of hope Landford had latched onto dissipates.
Months leading up to this punitive moment, he worked tirelessly to track down the culprit responsible for Lolita Kashmir's murder.
Once he uncovered the location of the victim's ex-boyfriend, Egan Veles, he discovered that more forces in the shadows were entangled in a web of corruption, dark money, and deception.
Amidst the chaos, Landford succeeded in tracking down the masterminds behind SARC, the underground criminal organization he had painstakingly worked on for his decade-long career to uncover.
All he had to do was reveal his findings to Anaya and the cops.
Victory is at our fingertips.
On his way to Varos Inc. one evening, Landford received an anonymous call from his vehicle.
Little did he know the call would soon be the architect of his misfortunes.
"Your son has been kidnapped," the caller's voice was unrecognizable, "If you don't show up at the designated location that you'll receive by text, you'll never see him again."
Landford's breath hitched as he clutched the steering wheel.
To ensure the call wasn't a scam, Landford probed, "Prove to me that he's in your custody or I'm hanging up."
