Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 92: Kidnapped [2]

Chapter 92: Kidnapped [2]

Instead of going straight home after dropping Knox off, Azrael contacted Sandro.

They met in the usual spot and Azrael laid another request to his college friend. They discussed Azrael’s plan to bust some of his father’s businesses that underwent illegality upon construction.

It was buried under the table by his father’s antics, with the help of his money and influence. It was easier to manipulate those in the seats in the government to pass and print business permits with just money.

Those businesses are also buried at the deepest part of the DV Group, so digging those specks of dirt would mean ruining the group’s reputation, and worse, might end up in bankruptcy with the family getting thrown in jail.

So, Azrael needed to tread carefully. Sandro was one of the people he trusted most, so it wasn’t a big deal to share his plans with him and have him take charge of gathering critical documents to blackmail his father.

Azrael can’t lose the company. Without it, he was nothing. So, all he needed to do was take complete charge of everything and rip off all authority from his father.

Their discussion took an hour.

After it ended, Azrael visited the MSA Headquarters. He wanted to personally check the distribution of security personnel, or if his father had requested for additional men to work under him.

Truthfully, the Montgomery Security Agency was owned by Kayden’s father – a foreigner, and Azrael’s father’s brother-in-law, even before he married Rage’s twin sister. However, it was still a small company back then, with the expansion of the DV Group, the MSA, after the union of Montgomery and Del Valle, was affected and soon became a large agency.

Because of this, Montgomery was loyal to the DV Group and ended up supporting Rage and his endeavors. After Kayden’s father died, his older sister inherited the MSA rather than their mother, and the loyalty of the Montgomery toward Rage Del Valle cracked because Kayden’s older sister chose to change ways, and supported Azrael instead.

He parked his car inside the building and stepped out. Adjusting his jacket, he spotted Roy standing by the entrance door, waiting for him.

"Did you bring them?" Azrael asked.

Roy opened the door, followed behind his boss, and answered, "Yes, sir."

Some of the employees who saw them bowed, and even the receptionist in the lobby immediately pressed the intercom and informed the president’s office of Azrael’s arrival. A young man came to them in a hurry and escorted them.

Soon, they were inside the office, facing Kayla Montgomery and her younger brother, Kayden.

"What brought you here?" Kayla asked. It seemed that she was in an important discussion with her brother when Azrael came, so her expression was a bit annoyed. "If you came to remind me of the agreement we made, you don’t have to worry about a thing. Even if Mother pestered me to support Uncle Rage again or Uncle offered me more than you did, I won’t let the company tread on that path again. I’m cleaning all loose ends, and erasing all connections with your father’s nasty activities."

Azrael smirked, "Glad to hear that. Then, I suppose he didn’t request additional men?"

Kayla shook her head, "No."

Kayden chipped in, "Are you thinking that Uncle might hire someone to find out that person who was caught dating you in the shopping district?" He gave Azrael a disapproving look, and added, "If you’d be concerned about that, then you should know better to wisely! Why date in a crowd just after that explosive interview of you aired?!"

"I have my reasons," Azrael ignored Kayden’s outburst and held out his hand to Roy who stood behind him. Roy handed the folder and Azrael threw it on the table. "I came here to check that person. He seemed a veteran in surveillance. I got rid of father’s lackey, and I assumed this one was also working for him, but it was highly unlikely since he was working alone."

Kayla opened the folder, "So, you’re here to check if this person is working under the agency?"

Azrael nodded. Attached to the folder were photos of the driver who Roy chased away the day Knox and he had a date. Kayla flicked her hand and the man who escorted Azrael and Roy earlier walked to her.

"See if this person’s working in the agency."

"Yes, ma’am."

With that, the man left.

Azrael leaned back in his seat and asked impatiently, "Will it take long to confirm?"

"It requires only a few minutes. Don’t be impatient, Azrael," Kayla rolled her eyes at him and stood. She went back to her desk and started working, ignoring the two alphas seated in her office’s lounge.

The two ended up conversing about random things. Ten minutes passed, and the man came back. Kayla lifted her head from the monitor. She cocked her head to her employee, so the employee reported.

"His name is Owen Mills. He worked in the agency for five years but resigned last year. He was hired by an upper-class family as a permanent bodyguard six months ago and currently is active in service to this day."

Azrael’s brows furrowed, "Whose family?"

"The Chen Family, sir."

A curse escaped his lips upon hearing that. He balled his hands into fists and the image of that famous actress appeared before him. His face darkened.

Kayden shook his head in disbelief. It wasn’t confirmed, but like Azrael, he had a hunch as to who ordered the man to tail his cousin. "If it’s her who did this, then she’s not of sound mind. How long have she been tailing you?"

Roy was the one who answered, "It seemed it was a few days after you went back from abroad, sir."

Kayden gaped at Roy, "The HZ summer collection launching?" Roy nodded. Kayden glanced at Azrael, "So, it’s been three weeks! What’s the scope of surveillance, sister? Is it only to watch the person twenty-four hours a day, or find the right timing to act their improper motive?"

Kayla, "It depends on who gave the order. If it’s an enemy, then the latter, however, if you’re uncertain it is an enemy, then it could be the former. He might have been stalking Azrael and just reporting everything he saw or heard to his employer. Like what Azrael did the whole day or who spent the day with him, and such."

"That sounds creepy," Kayden replied, shrugging his shoulders while giving Azrael a sorry look.

Kayla remarked, "Stalkerish behaviors are already creepy, imagine a twenty-four-hour stealth surveillance on you. You’d start to think that even the toilet you sat on had a hidden camera."

"Must be tough, Azi."

Azrael ignored Kayden and brought his phone. It’s been almost two hours already, yet Knox never sent even a short message to him. He clicked his tongue so loudly that the siblings turned to him with wonder.

He stood and nodded at Kayla, "Thanks for the help, Kal."

Kayla wriggled her eyebrows, and answered nonchalantly, "Anytime."

Kayden also stood, "What are you going to do with her?" He waved at his sister goodbye and walked out with Azrael.

"Make her feel what’s it like being followed. I’ll make sure she’d start using that man to guard her rather than sending him to stalk me," Azrael answered unhesitatingly.

Suddenly, Kayden’s phone rang. He checked the caller and stopped, utterly bewildered. Azrael noticed his puzzled expression so he asked, "Who called"

Kayden, "Kal?" He put the phone to his ear and asked, "What’s this? Did you forget to say something?"

From the other line, Kayla answered, "Did you give my business card to someone named Athan Horace?"

Kayden’s expression stiffened, "Yes. Did he call?"

"He’s in the line. Come back here. It seemed urgent."

Kayden quickly returned to his sister’s office. His heart began to pound. He met Athan at the hospital before and they had a serious talk about Shawn’s situation at home, and Athan’s plans to proceed with the engagement to help the omega.

They fought a bit. And soon, Kayden learned that Athan and Knox were related. Out of his concern for Knox and his child, when he heard from Shawn that Chairman Horace might reveal Knox’s identity to the public, he gave Athan his sister’s business card the next time they met.

’Did something happen?’ Kayden anxiously thought.

"Why did she call?" Kayden glanced over his shoulder and found Azrael trailing behind him. "What did she say? You looked tense."

Kayden, sporting a worried look, answered, "Athan called. I don’t know the details yet, but I don’t feel good about this, Azrael."

As soon as they arrived back at the office, Kayden went on the telephone and answered, "Yes, this is Kayden speaking."

Azrael and Kayla stared at Kayden as he listened on the phone. Color drained from Kayden’s face. His shocked eyes darted to Azrael and shared the news in a hurry, "Knox is missing."

In an instant, the phone was snatched from Kayden and what came next was a shaky inquiry directed to the person beyond the phone, "What the hell did you mean?!"

Azrael stood unmoving; the phone almost breaking in his hand, and the atmosphere inside the room darkened. Kayla tugged Kayden’s sleeves, but even the doctor was speechless and still in shock.

As he listened to Athan’s explanation, Azrael tried to call Knox using his phone many times, but it was never answered. Then, he froze when Athan questioned him.

"Knox said he would take care of a sick friend. If it’s you, then you’re the last person he was with before he called us. Damn you, Del Valle, if something happened to my brother. I’ll kill you."

The line was cut after that. Azrael stared at the beeping telephone. His mind went blank, but his body took control. He ran, ready to barge into his father’s home and drag him into hell until Knox was found.

If only Kayden and Roy hadn’t grabbed his shoulders and Kayla slapped him until he snapped back into the present, he’d never realized how his injured hand was bleeding profusely while muttering his father’s name with so much hatred and anger.