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From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 101. The Club
After the doctor did one last check on Van, he was discharged and free to go home. They packed up their things, and Van was all set to leave. Since they had concluded that Cynthia had people that were monitoring him, Ivy decided to call Boyd for help. "This is what we're going to do," he started. "Since we don't know who those people are, or where they are. Van and I are going to switch our outfits, then I'll leave with Ivy and Van heads on a separate route to the hotel he wants to stay in. That way, people would think that I'm you, and they'd follow Ivy and I.""Wow, that's actually pretty smart." Van said after Boyd was done with his explanation. "Let's just hope it works. But why don't you want to complain to the police? I mean the drug she gave Van could have hurt him badly. You even have the test results to back your claims.""You're right, but Van and I came here for honeymoon. We don't want anything complicated like a police case. Besides, we don't know where she lives, we
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 102. Abduction
Macy wondered why Ivy was always against her doing things for Jasper. It was no secret that she was against it when she mentioned having a joint account with him as well. Could it be that she knew something she wasn't telling her?Or was she just against her relationship with him because Jasper was younger?She would have to ask her once she went back. Just as she got out of the bathroom, a tall buff man blocked her path. "Hey pretty, wanna dance?""No. Now please excuse me , I have to get back to my date." She tried to by pass him but he stopped her. "What is it?""I'm afraid you have to come with me." He ordered. "Excuse me? I don't have to do anything, now get the hell out of my way." Again when she tried to leave he stopped her. This time with something else. "Does this change your mind?" He asked in an intimidating tone as he touched her with the revolver in his hand. Macy froze up, unable to speak or do anything else. "Now that you're calm, how about we try this again. Woul
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 103. Desperate Soul
As Ivy stood in the motel room, glaring at Chris who only smiled lazily at her, she began to rack her brain for ways she could get out of the situation she had found herself in, because she knew that what ever he wanted her to do would definitely be something she wouldn't be able to. He didn't look like he was with a weapon and since she just walked in, she knew the door was unlocked. If she turned and ran out with her best speed, Ivy was sure that she could make it out, but that would mean she had to abandon Macy…. and she couldn't do that. Chris seemed to be aware of that as well, and that was probably the reason he looked so calm. "How long are you going to keep staring at me from afar? I'm sure you could get a better up close view if you sat with me here." He said with a smile. "Where is she?""Who? Oh your friend? Bo hoo, and here I thought you were here to see me. How disappointing.""Don't play games with me! Where are you keeping her?! You better not lay a hand on her, you
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 104. Moses
BRIMESVILLE."Are you really going to let this slide? You know this is what that bastard wants.""It doesn't matter, Bianca was the one who made her choice. I was going to give that bitch a chance at a better life, and yet she chose to embarrass me. Me. I am Moses Wilson, every girl in this entire city wants to be with me. They love me. They want me! Who the hell is that bastard! How dare he try to make a fool of me this way?Now I can't even walk outside with my head high without having one reporter or the other harassing me about what happened between me and my wife to be. Did you see the article they posted? Who the hell is this stupid Fisherman anyway? What are they trying to achieve?""What did he say about you this time?""It wasn't about me! That is the annoying part of this whole thing. He wrote an entire article about my marriage, my fiancee, my fucking life and yet the stupid thing was not about me. Instead he made it all about that stupid son of a bitch! Who the hell is
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 105. Back Together
BRIMESVILLE."Really? That was really what he said?""Yes. I already had a long talk with him and he decided that he was not going to let such a trivial thing come between you two.""Are you sure? He refused to take my calls and he won't even see me no matter how much I beg.""Yeah, but that was before I spoke to him. You know I'm not just Moses's personal assistant, I am also his long time friend. And I already advised him not to let that scum come between you two. The reason he refused to take your calls before was because he was hurt. You and I both know that what you did was painful. If it was me, I would definitely be hurt as well. My woman, acting like that at the wedding of your ex. It doesn't paint a nice picture. Of both you and your fiance.""So? Can I go and see him now?""Right now? Probably not. He was having a really important meeting with some of the company's shareholders, and those kind of meetings usually stretch out for a long time. Maybe tomorrow.""Okay, thank yo
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 106. Girl Talk
"What?" "I don't know if I'm right, I'm kinda hoping I'm not. But I've been suspecting him for about a week now, and yesterday, I heard him on the phone. He said he would be leaving soon and he said something about planning a wedding. I'm not exactly sure if he was talking about himself or someone else, but it kinda sounded like he was talking about himself."The first time it happened, Macy caught Jasper browsing through the internet for perfect anniversary gifts for your girlfriend, and it wasn't their anniversary. In fact, they had never celebrated any anniversary. Jasper said it was only meaningful after at least six months of relationship, so she had been eagerly anticipating theirs. She thought he had changed his mind, but he never got her any gift. The second time was when she got a call from her friend who worked at a jewelry store that he had purchased a necklace for his girlfriend's birthday present. Macy's birthday had been two months before that time. She didn't want
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 107. The Guest
"Ivy, hey." She turned back and smiled as she saw the person who called her. "Cassie, what's up?" It still came as a surprise to Ivy that she would make a friend in Hawaii before leaving, but Cassie was just too friendly that it felt inevitable. "I'm good. How've you been? You hardly respond to any of my messages.""Yeah, I'm sorry. I've just been going through a lot these days.""Oh? Anything you'd like to share?" She glanced behind Ivy and saw Macy seated on a bench. "Hello.""Oh hi.""Is she okay?" Cassie asked, still looking at Macy."Yeah. She's just going through some things." Ivy didn't think it was right to divulge Macy's personal matters to someone she barely knew. "It's okay, Ivy. You can tell her." Macy hated Jasper for hurting her feelings, but she still felt terrible because she loved him. "Her boyfriend is planning on getting married to someone else. And they're still together." Ivy briefed her, but the summary explanation wasn't enough for Macy because she stood up
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 108. A Psycho's Confession
"C-chris? What are you doing here?""Isn't it obvious my darling? I came here to check up on you. Besides, I wanted to apologize for frightening you back at the club the other night. That was not what I had in mind.""How did you know where I live?""Don't mind that, I can find anyone and any place as long as it's here. You seem to be forgetting that this is my territory." He strolled into the living room, looking around like he was accessing the place. "Not bad. But if you were with me, I'd get you a house ten times bigger and better than this one." He said with a confident grin. "Go away."He frowned at her. "My love, are you still angry at me? Honest, I never meant to scare you." He took small steps towards her as he spoke. "Stay away from me you psycho. Get out now before I call the cops.""The cops? Don't make me laugh honey. No one can arrest me, and even if they dare to, my father will just get me out, and I'll come right back to you. There really is no need for this to be d
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228. Counterstrike
The first sign came quiet. Too quiet.Carla’s laptop froze mid-search.The screen flickered once, then died.She cursed under her breath, smacking the side."That’s not normal," she muttered.But by the time she turned to call Van, the lights in the safehouse cut out too.Dark.Total dark.Van's instincts snapped awake.He grabbed Boyd by the collar, yanked him back from the window."Down. Now."A second later, the glass exploded inward — a single sniper round carving through where Boyd’s head had been.Dan was already rolling for the back door, weapon drawn.But he barely made it two steps before the walls shuddered — an explosion outside, close enough to rattle the whole building."They're here!" Dan bellowed."Barron's men — they’re hitting us now!"Louisa screamed, clutching the flash drive like it was her last tether to life.Carla grabbed her arm, dragging her toward the back.Her voice was sharp but tight with fear."Move! Go! Go!"Van grabbed the rifle from under the couch — o
227. The Leak
By dawn, the first leak was already live.A small, half-forgotten blog out of Riverside — City Watchdog — dropped the bomb.No flashy headlines. No screaming sirens.Just cold facts: financial records, timestamps, and the name of a sitting state senator wired half a million from one of Barron’s shell companies.No context. No accusation, just enough to light the fuse.Van watched the post go viral in real time.At first, nobody cared. Then, somewhere around seven AM, a bigger account picked it up — a political gossip page with just enough clout to make people squint.By noon, national blogs were calling it "The Slush Fund Scandal."At around two PM, the senator’s office released a frantic denial.That’s when Van knew they’d drawn blood.Boyd let out a bark of laughter when the news hit the TV in the safehouse."Look at them squirm! Man, they thought they were gods. Now they’re crying on camera like school kids who were caught cheating."Dan just grunted, never looking away from the wi
226. The Accountant's Secret
The safehouse smelled like old coffee and fear when Louisa Martin finally showed up.She came alone, wrapped in a cheap raincoat two sizes too big, hair hidden under a beanie.Her eyes darted everywhere — ceiling corners, dark windows, even the cracks in the floor like they might bite her.Van watched her quietly from across the room, arms folded.She looked nothing like the sharp financial shark Keller described.This woman was frayed at the edges, like someone who hadn’t slept properly in months.Keller made the introductions. "Louisa. This is Van. Van — Louisa."Louisa’s voice was brittle as glass. "I know who he is."Her eyes flicked to Van, then away again like looking at him too long might get her killed.Van didn’t bother with small talk, time was blood now. "You worked for Barron, that means you know where the bodies are buried. You talk — I make sure you stay breathing.You stay quiet — and you’ll be next on his list."Louisa’s laugh was short and humorless."Sweetheart, I’ve
225. Next Move
By mid-morning, Van couldn’t step outside without seeing his own face staring back from every screen.Some called him a vigilante.Others spat the word criminal like poison.But the city was buzzing, and Barron’s name was finally dragged through the dirt alongside his own.Van didn’t care about the headlines. He cared about the numbers Carla showed him — accounts traced, shell companies linked, wires exposed like raw nerves.Money. That’s where they would cut next.She tapped the screen, her nail chipped and trembling slightly."See this? Phoenix Holdings. Looks clean on the outside, but dig deeper and it’s washing Barron’s trafficking money through luxury imports. Art, watches, cars—hell, probably gold toilets for his mansion."Van grunted. His mind wasn’t on art.It was on Lenny, still fighting for his life three floors up."You said we could burn him financially. How?"Carla smirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked as tired as he felt."We leak it. Quiet first — to the rig
224. First Blood
The attack came at dawn.Silent. Surgical. Cruel.Lenny never saw it coming. He was stepping out of his apartment, headed to meet Van at the old mill, when the van screeched up.Three men in black masks.No words — just steel pipes and fists.Neighbors heard the commotion but kept their doors shut.Everyone knew better. When Barron’s men came calling, you looked away.By the time the van peeled off, Lenny lay in a broken heap, blood pooling beneath his head.His niece’s picture, which he always carried in his pocket, fluttered to the ground, soaked red.★★★Van got the call an hour later.Nora's voice shook."They nearly killed him, Van. Lenny’s in ICU. Skull fractures, broken ribs. They meant to send a message."Van stood frozen in the middle of Keller’s living room, heart pounding like a war drum.Carla looked up from her laptop, face pale."This is escalation. Barron’s going full scorched earth now. If we don’t hit back hard—"Van was already moving.★★★At the hospital, Lenny lay
223. Raising An Army
Van’s phone buzzed just past midnight, it was an unknown number but he answered without hesitation.A familiar voice, rough and low, crackled through."You said if we ever wanted payback, we should call. Well, we’re calling."It was Lenny — an old cellmate from the prison days. A man who’d lost his niece to the same trafficking chain Bianca had just escaped.Van’s chest tightened."Where are you?""Abandoned mill off 43rd Street. And we’re not alone."Van grabbed his jacket and keys.This was the sign he’d been waiting for.★★★The mill was a ruin of rust and cracked windows, but inside, the air was electric.Dozens of faces turned when Van stepped in.Ex-cons, street runners and women with haunted eyes — survivors of Barron’s network.At the front stood Lenny, his massive arms crossed over his chest. Beside him, a thin woman with a scar along her jaw — Nora, who had once testified and then vanished from public sight.Van took it in: a gathering of the discarded and the damned.People
222. Barron Retaliates
The news broke before dawn. Grainy footage leaked online — flashing lights at the docks, bodies being loaded into ambulances, women wrapped in blankets, their faces blurred.The headlines screamed in bold:Human Trafficking Ring Busted in Dramatic Night Raid.But behind the headlines, in dark rooms far from the public eye, powerful men were already plotting their revenge.Van sat beside Bianca's hospital bed, watching her chest rise and fall. She was sedated, her body too battered and exhausted to stay conscious for long but she was alive.That simple fact kept him breathing.Keller stood near the door, on the phone with someone high up — probably trying to keep this operation from exploding into a political scandal.Carla scrolled through her tablet, her face grim."They’re already spinning this," she muttered. "Barron’s people are leaking stories that this was a rogue smuggling crew. Small-time. Not connected to him."Van’s jaw clenched."Typical. Burn the pawns, protect the king."
221. Final Hunt
The storm hadn’t let up by morning.Thunder rolled over the city like distant gunfire as Van paced the length of Keller’s safehouse, phone clutched in a death grip.The message replayed in his mind over and over:"Transfer complete. Barron expects the shipment before Friday."Today was Thursday.That meant they had less than twenty-four hours to find Bianca before she vanished — maybe forever.Carla spread a map on the table, jabbing her finger at different points marked in red."These are known drop sites tied to Barron’s network. Truck yards. Private airstrips. Warehouses near the docks. If they’re moving her, it’s through one of these routes."Van stopped pacing, leaned over the map."Which one?"Carla’s mouth pressed into a thin line."If I knew that, we’d already be on the road."Keller stormed in from the other room, phone to his ear."No, I don’t care if it’s off the books—pull every asset we have! She’s out there, and I want eyes on every exit point in this city!"He ended the
220. The Raid
The black SUV tore through the city streets, weaving between cars and running red lights.Rain slapped against the windshield in heavy sheets, turning the world into a blur of lights and shadows.Van sat in the passenger seat, jaw tight, fingers tapping a restless rhythm on his knee.Beside him, Keller drove like a man possessed, silent and focused.Carla sat in the back, double-checking the blueprints of the warehouse on her tablet."Franklin and Third," she muttered."Two floors. Old textile plant. Abandoned for years. No security cameras, no neighbors — perfect place to stash someone."Van’s stomach twisted.It was too perfect.He kept flashing back to Vance’s words: If they think you’re coming, they’ll move her—or worse.He couldn't afford to think about what worse meant.Not now.Not when they were this close.They arrived in less than fifteen minutes.The warehouse loomed out of the mist like a dead thing — gray, crumbling, windows shattered, rust eating through the metal doors.
