The Mistress Is Reborn As The Fiancée
Chapter 42: Make It Disappear

Chapter 42: Make It Disappear

The city traffic blurred into a streaked canvas of lights and shadows as Flynn navigated the congested streets. His phone buzzed, Tolu’s name flashing across the screen. He answered, his voice taut with anticipation.

"Flynn," Tolu’s voice crackled through the line, urgency lacing every syllable. "We found him. The owner of the car that ran Noelle off the road. He is at the warehouse."

Flynn’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. "The special warehouse?" he asked, his voice low and steady.

"Yeah," Tolu confirmed.

"I’m on my way," Flynn said, his voice clipped. He hung up, his mind already racing, his focus sharpening.

"You don’t have to." Tolu said, "I can take care of it."

"I need to do this myself." Flynn answered sharply. He could not imagine anything going wrong, he had to be the one to make the criminal speak.

"Alright then," Tolu said in resignation. "He is waiting for you."

Flynn made a sharp turn, the car responding to his command, and sped towards the warehouse, a nondescript building on the outskirts of the city, a place where he handled the more... delicate aspects of their business.

He arrived at the warehouse, the heavy steel doors sliding open to admit him. Tolu was waiting, his expression grim.

"He is refusing to talk," Tolu said, his voice laced with frustration. "He won’t give us the names of his accomplices, or the person who hired him."

He paused, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. "I thought you would not be able come. I mean, when I asked you to come for a meeting with our important clients you claimed you have been so busy with the Ryu family, but when it came to Noelle you dropped everything."

Flynn’s expression hardened. "I owe Areum my life," he said, his voice flat and unwavering. "I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe and deal with the people who dare to harm her."

"Alright, alright," Tolu said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"What do you have on him?" Flynn asked.

"His name is Bharai, 35. Has a long string of petty crimes from burglary to assault, robbery, counterfeiting, drug possession and sale, smuggling, you name it. He was tracked thanks to the truck which was used to push Noelle’s car. He has no wife, parents are dead but he has a girlfriend, a stripper named Nadia. We are still searching for her." Tolu listed out while Flynn listened and nodded.

"And his accomplices? Are there any known friends?" He asked. "Doesn’t this man have neighbors?"

"We are still searching for his friends, it appears they might have gotten a warning because they have all disappeared. Bharai was only caught because he was fleeing in his car, he was already near the border of the city when we caught him." Tolu continued.

"What about his financials?" Flynn queried. "The money always leads to answers."

"Checked that already." Tolu answered, "there were no unusual deposits or withdrawals, I assume that he was paid cash."

"So that must mean that he met the person who hired them." Flynn mused.

"Or one of them met the person who hired them." We just have to find out who." Tolu added.

"Good work." Flynn praised. "Keep trying to find that stripper, I am certain that she will have some information that we can use."

"I kept him in room three, he has already gotten a touch up. Be careful, Flynn. He is a tough one." Tolu pointed out.

Flynn nodded and walked towards room three, the heavy steel door swinging open with a metallic clang. Inside, a man sat bound and gagged, his face bruised and swollen. He looked up as Flynn entered, his eyes filled with defiance and hate.

Flynn pulled the gag from the man’s mouth. "Speak," he commanded, his voice cold and hard.

The man spat at him, the saliva landing on Flynn’s foot. "I have nothing to say to you," he snarled, his voice thick with hatred.

Flynn’s jaw tightened. He stared down at the saliva as it slipped off his brown leather shoes, when he looked up his eyes were burning with a cold fury.

"You are going to tell me who sent you, and you are going to tell me where the rest of your friends are" he said, his voice low and dangerous.

"Or what?" The man laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Go to hell, you don’t frighten me pretty boy." he spat.

He had already been slapped around by the black guy and it had been nothing. They were just a couple of Ivy League guys who wanted to feel like bad guys, they were playing at being thugs but he had dealt with all types and these clean cut guys did not scare him in the least.

They would huff and puff and after they would probably send him to the police. He wished that he had been able to escape on time, then he would not be in this mess. If only Nadia had been around, he would have gotten some money from her and not have needed to take that job that led to him leaving too late.

At least Joash and Ben must have gotten far enough not to get caught and since he had never met the person who commissioned them for the job he had nothing to tell them anyway. They would realize that and let him go.

"You have nothing to threaten me with." Bharai continued, "I have no family, nothing."

"Not even Nadia? You don’t care what will happen to your friend?" Flynn asked.

Bharai was silent for a moment then he shrugged. "It’s all man for himself," he said. "Nadia is a big girl, she has always known that."

Flynn’s patience snapped. He delivered a swift, brutal blow to the man’s stomach, the force of the impact sending him gasping for air. He followed up with a series of punches to the man’s face, each blow fueled by the rage that burned within him.

"Who sent you?" Flynn repeated, his voice a low growl. "Tell me who sent you and I will give you a merciful death. But if you waste my time..." the threat was left hanging.

The man groaned, his body writhing in pain. But he remained silent, his eyes filled with defiance.

He had not thought that this one could hit so hard, he was in severe pain and it felt like he was dying. He still would not give him anything.

Flynn’s anger intensified, a dark, primal rage that threatened to consume him. He grabbed the man by the collar, his grip like iron, and slammed him against the wall.

"Tell me!" he roared, his voice echoing through the room.

The man laughed, a weak, broken sound. "Your whore deserved to die," he gasped, his voice laced with hatred. "If someone paid to have her killed, then she must have had it coming and they won’t stop until she drops dead. I hope you watch her die."

Flynn’s world narrowed, his vision blurring with rage. The man’s words about Areum, the casual cruelty, the blatant disregard for human life, ignited a fire within him, a burning fury that demanded release.

He delivered a final, devastating blow, his fist connecting with the man’s temple with a sickening thud. The man’s body went limp, his head lolling to the side.

Flynn stood over the lifeless body, his chest heaving, his eyes burning with a cold, hard rage. He had crossed a line, a line he had sworn never to cross. But the man’s words, the threat to Noelle, had pushed him too far.

He turned and walked out of the room, his movements mechanical, his mind numb. He found Tolu waiting, his expression grim.

"He is dead," Flynn said, his voice flat.

Tolu nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of understanding and concern. "I know," he said. "I heard."

"He would not talk," Flynn said, his voice devoid of emotion. "He said Areum deserved to die, i couldn’t think."

Tolu’s expression hardened. "Then he got what he deserved," he said, his voice laced with a hint of steel.

Flynn nodded, his gaze fixed on the floor. He knew that he had crossed a line, that he had taken a life. But he could not bring himself to regret it. The man had threatened Areum, and for that, he had paid the ultimate price.

"We need to clean this up," Flynn said, his voice low and steady. "Make it disappear."

Tolu nodded. "Consider it done," he said.

Flynn turned and walked towards the exit, his mind racing. He had to find out who had sent the man, who wanted Areum dead. He had to protect her, to keep her safe from harm. He would not rest until he had uncovered the truth, until he had brought those responsible to justice. He knew he had just made a very powerful enemy, but he was ready to face them. Areum was worth it.