Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 177: Sandro’s odd findings [3]

Chapter 177: Sandro’s odd findings [3]

Inside a smoke-filled room, the only light illuminating the entire space was the sunlight passing through the small box where an exhaust fan used to be installed, dimming the whole place despite the bright morning sky outside.

Two chairs were situated in the middle, both occupied with two unconscious bodies, limping on the sides.

Sandro’s eyebrow twitched when he smelled the scent of cigarettes. His eyes slowly opened and soon adjusted to the dim surroundings. He glanced around, his gaze darting on the person next to him, tied to the chair like him.

His feet, which thankfully weren’t tied, kicked the other chair, his movement creating a small ’thud’ noise that garnered the attention of the man hiding in the shadow at the corner of the room, the one responsible for the unceasing smoke in the air.

Sandro coughed from the strong aroma seeping down his throat. Even after getting discovered, he continued kicking the chair where Azrael’s secretary, Luis, was tied.

Damn it, why isn’t he waking up?! Sandro panicked. Surely, they wouldn’t bother to tie him if he was already a corpse, right? His only consolation made him kick the chair harder so that it moved slightly away from its position.

He jolted when a gruff voice came from the shadow, cutting through the smoky haze, "Quiet down. Stop kicking the goddamn chair. The sounds annoy me big time."

Sandro squinted toward the shadow, struggling to make out the figure concealed within. He didn’t recognize the voice, so he just asked in the end, "Who are you? Why did you kidnap us? If it’s for money, don’t bother. I’m just a nine-to-five employee who earns enough money to pay bills. I have nothing to pay you."

A deep sigh came from the dark corner, "You’re noisy."

An ember flickered from the cigarettes as it was thrown to the side, and the rustling of clothes was heard, indicating that the mysterious man had fished something in his pocket. He finally stepped into the dim light, revealing his bearded face and piercing eyes.

It was a face unknown to Sandro.

The man was dressed in an old and faded jacket and pants, and his face looked older. His eyes were cold, and a bit irritated, and his hands were in his pockets on his jacket, moving inside as though it was playing with something.

Sandro swallowed hard. He noticed the other corner of the room was filled with unused boxes, and if he was smoking then, the thing he must have been holding in was a lighter. Fortunately, he hasn’t yet caught the smell of gasoline, or anything flammable nearby.

He composed himself, steadying his voice despite the panic rising within him. He asked the mysterious guy, "What do you want?"

"Money, wealth, there’s a lot," the older man answered menacingly. He pulled the seat from the dark corner and sat right in front of the two. He then continued, "If you’re asking what I want from you, then I simply wanted you two to be obedient and don’t do something foolish. I was told to keep you alive, anyway."

"So, you’re following orders? From who?" Sandro casually slipped in, masking his immense curiosity.

The man nodded and puffed out a loud sigh. He didn’t even hesitate to answer or hide the truth at least, "Your boss’ father, who else?"

Sandro shuddered. If it’s the chairman, does that mean he already found out what we’re doing behind his back?

He gulped the growing lump of anxiousness in his throat. If he knew he’d be kidnapped, he would have detailed everything to Azrael when he called. However, he was never worried that their disappearance would be hidden that long.

If they don’t intend to kill us, then it means they are simply preventing them from going forward with their investigation. But Azrael already made contact with the Horaces, and from what I heard from Roy, the Horaces joined hands with him, Sandro thought. His mind raced from the events of last night.

He was on his way to his office, where he actually lives when he received a call from Luis stating that he was being followed by someone. He rushed in to check on the older beta guy, and when he arrived at the scene, Luis was already unconscious.

He didn’t bother fighting since there were four of them, so, he was tasered and lost consciousness as well.

"What did he want from us?" Sandro asked again.

The man shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Dunno. I’m just doing the dirty jobs here, and I don’t even get to talk to the man himself. His sending his bitch to order me around."

Bitch? Chairman Rage’s woman? Who, Lyssana? Sandro wondered. He heard a groan, and he turned his head to the side, seeing Luis yawn and even trying to rub his eyes, still not realizing his situation.

At last, when he felt his arms weren’t moving even if he wanted to, his eyes widened upon the realization. "Who tied me?"

The man replied, "Me."

Luis lifted his head and glared at the guy, "Release me."

"Can’t. You’ll run away," the man calmly answered.

Sandro crumpled his face at the relaxed attitude of the kidnapper, but he was even more surprised at the unconcerned face of his companion.

Luis pursed his lips and briefly glanced at Sandro with a disappointed look, "I called you thinking you’d be of help, but judging from your unscathed face, I’d bet you surrender so easily, huh?"

"And you didn’t?" Sandro asked, sarcastically.

Luis adjusted his slump posture and responded, "I tried to land a few kicks, but they don’t fight fairly."

"We’re kidnapping you; do you really think we’d fight fair?" the man shook his head the incredulous discussion. Suddenly, he paused and eyed the two, noticing something, "Strange. Why do both of you look so calm and collected?"

"Oh, gosh, sir, I’m panicking inside, I swear," Luis immediately answered, though his tone didn’t even have a hint of panic. He averted his eyes from the mysterious guy and looked around.

Sandro gaped at the secretary. A single thought ran in his head, is this the effect of working under Azrael for years?

Of course, Luis wasn’t alarmed at all. He had a pile of work he had to do in place of his boss who was enjoying his family time in those tumultuous times. So, if he didn’t appear at six in the morning, the people in the office would report him missing already.

Judging from the angle of the light passing through the small window, it was already, near lunch in the morning. He was certain his boss was already looking for them, so he wasn’t panicking even a little. He thought inwardly, Besides, I had already written my will

At the same time, as Knox and Knoa entered the movie house, Azrael stealthily looked behind, noticing a few men in civilian clothes following them. He gave Roy a meaningful look and followed behind the two after.