Chapter 214

A quest for a blowjob... right after saying heartfelt things to her. Yeah, absolutely not. That would be crossing a line even I wasn’t comfortable with at the moment. Maybe tomorrow, if the quest stuck around. She’d say yes if I asked—no doubt—but jumping her now would make me look like a complete idiot after the apology.

"That time we met at the gas station," I said. "What were you doing there? It’s far from your house, right?"

"I was supposed to pick up Esme from her friend," Cora said. "But I got the address wrong."

"Oh. Right."

"I’m... glad I got the place wrong," she said with a faint laugh. "That’s when I met you."

"Hey, I’m glad too," I replied with a grin. "You really are something special, Cora."

"T-thanks. You are too."

"You’re making me blush," I joked, stopping at another red light.

"Hehehe..."

Seeing her smile like that eased something in me. She deserved happiness after the life she’d lived. I couldn’t even imagine what the house was like back then when her father was still around. The bruises, the screaming, the nights spent hoping he’d pass out early. No wonder both sisters turned out the way they did. I could understand her situation because I had a friend like Cora too in high school. Some parents just didn’t deserve anything.

After a moment, I spoke again. "Can I ask you something personal?"

She shifted slightly. "S-sure?"

"Your father... did he drink?"

She nodded. "All the time."

"How was he?" I asked carefully. "I know he was a bad man but... I mean..."

"You want an example?"

I nodded.

"He’d send me to buy beer. When the clerk refused because I wasn’t old enough, my father would beat me when I got home. Then he’d send me again. And again. Until the clerk finally took pity and sold it to me."

I stared forward and exhaled. "That’s... goddamn."

"But I’m happy now." She smiled—small, but real. "With Esme. Living together. Not relying on anyone."

"Depending on someone isn’t always a bad thing," I said. "At some point, everyone needs someone."

"I will no—"

"I’ll be there when you do," I said firmly. "Just like how I counted on you to make Charlotte talk. Alright?"

Her cheeks warmed again. "Oh... t-thank you, Evan."

"Always."

I lit another smoke and took a slow drag, keeping one hand on the wheel.

"Want me to crack a window?" I asked.

Cora shook her head, eyes on her lap. "No. It’s okay."

Snow still coated everything outside—leftovers from last night’s storm, the whole city buried in white. We hit another red light. I tapped my fingers against the wheel.

"That storm was insane," I said.

"Esme and I hid under a blanket till three," Cora replied. "We thought the roof was going to fly off."

"Right? Sounded like something was trying to peel the building open."

The light shifted and I continued driving. A few turns later, I pulled right and parked. Stingy Ladies was just ahead—sign glowing, front door open, but quiet since it wasn’t night yet.

We got out and headed in. The inside was dim, only a few lights on, everything clean and silent except for the muffled hum of some machine running behind the bar. We walked straight toward it.

Charlotte stood with her back to us, short dyed-red hair tied up loosely as she wiped down the top shelf. I cleared my throat.

She turned. Her eyes widened when she saw me—then widened even more when she saw Cora behind me.

"Oh, hell no—"

"No." I raised a hand. "We’re not here for trouble. We came to apologize, Charlotte."

Cora stepped forward, head lowered. "I’m sorry I... kidnapped you. It was bad. I’m sorry."

Charlotte stared at her like she’d just confessed to being a demon. "You almost bit my tit off, you lunatic! You’re lucky it didn’t leave a mark!"

"Look," I said. "We really are sorry. But thanks to you, Guy is off our backs. Off yours too."

"Oh?" Charlotte set the cloth down. "Then why can’t I reach Emilia? She hasn’t answered my calls in days. She didn’t come to work. Guy knew those videos were on her phone."

My stomach tightened. "What do you mean you can’t reach her?"

Charlotte leaned forward on the bar, fingers tightening around the edge. "She won’t pick up my calls. And I’m scared to go to her place. What if they’re waiting for me next?"

"Emilia..." I muttered. "Shit. Guy wouldn’t go that far."

Charlotte gave me a look sharp enough to cut glass. "Think again. You want forgiveness? Bring my friend back safely. That’s the only shot you get."

╭──────────────────────╮

NEW MAIN QUEST

==========================

Title: Safe & Sound

Task: Make sure Emilia is safe.

Reward: 750c

╰──────────────────────╯

Shit. Of course Guy would go after the only person who still had the videos. Emilia. I should’ve seen that angle coming. First Mendy nearly tried killing herself because of me, and now this? Would Guy really go after Emilia and... murder her? This was bad. Really bad.

Calling the cops crossed my mind, but what good would it do if half the bastards working in uniform owed Guy favors?

"Have you called the cops?" I asked Charlotte.

"Twice," she said. "They said her place was empty. But I’m sure Guy has people in the force. Maybe he... I don’t know..."

If Guy had connections, and pretty sure he did, Emilia might be in deeper trouble than I thought. She was smart, sure, but Guy was smarter and nastier. I needed to find her. Screw the Main Quest. For my sanity alone, I had to make sure Emilia was alive and safe. This whole thing was spiraling into a disaster.

"Alright." I nodded. "Thank you, Charlotte. I’ll make sure Emilia’s safe."

She shrugged. "I don’t trust you at all, but knock yourself out."

"Yeah." I turned to Cora. "Come on. I’ll drop you home."

She gave a small nod. "Mm."

We walked out of Stingy Ladies and headed to the car. Neither of us talked. I slid behind the wheel, turned on the AC, and leaned back, rubbing my face with both hands. Fuck. Where was Emilia? I should’ve warned her. Or threatened Guy right from the start—told him if he touched her, I’d leak everything. Too late now.

Anotta. She was the only person who might have strings to pull. I’d call her, tell her Guy might be going off the rails, and hope she could reach him. Maybe I could still scare him into backing off... assuming he hadn’t already done the worst.

"What are you going to do?" Cora asked, fastening her seatbelt.

"I’ll think of something," I said. "I have to."

"You want my h-help?" she offered with a tiny smile.

"No." I shook my head. "This is something I need to handle myself. You’ve already done more than enough."

"Okay... but if you need me, I’m only a call away."

I started the engine. "Thank you, Cora."

I backed the car out of the parking spot and eased onto the road. My hand went to the dashboard, popping it open to get to the phone system. I scrolled through the contacts, found Anotta’s number, and hit call. Four rings. Then a voice.

"Mr. Marlowe," a man answered.

"Yeah. I need to speak with Ms. Anotov. It’s life or death. Can you get her?"

Beside me, Cora leaned in. "Anotta?" she whispered. "The Anotta?"

"Hmm," I answered quietly.

"Wait," the man said.

I heard movement on the other end—footsteps on a staircase, then knuckles knocking, a door opening, and more walking. Silence followed.

Then her voice.

"Marlowe," she said, calm as ever. "Hello."

"Hey," I turned into traffic, trying to keep my voice steady. "I need to talk to you, Ms. Anotov."

"Oh? You can be very polite when you want something."

"Emilia is missing. She’s the one who gave me the videos. I think Guy went after her. He has police in his pocket."

"And what would you want from me?"

"Reach him. Tell him if he hurts her, I’ll drop everything to the public. All of it."

"That isn’t possible," she answered. "Guy is out of the country. Dubai. No line to him."

My jaw locked. "Shit."

"Do you know where this Emilia lives?" she asked.

"Yes, but Charlotte thinks he has men watching the place."

"I suggest checking the place. Then decide what to do."

"You can’t leave me hanging like this," I said. "We’re talking about a real person. Borrow one of your people, have them scout the building."

"If she dies, that’s on you," she replied. "You need to own what you’ve done. Grow up, Evan Henrik Marlowe."

The line went dead.

My fist slammed the steering wheel. The horn blared, and a pedestrian outside shot me the finger before stepping up onto the curb. I didn’t blame him. Rage burned through me. Of course she wouldn’t help. She wasn’t an ally. She never had been. She only moved when there was profit, or leverage, or a window she could use. Idiot—should’ve known better.

"Hey," Cora said gently. "Let’s check her place."

"What?" My voice rose. "And walk right into an ambush? If Charlotte’s right, Guy could have men waiting. Ready to snatch her—or me."

"Then we deal with them," Cora said, little grin playing at the corner of her lips. "Easy."

"No. Absolutely not." I shook my head. "I’ll figure something else out."

"I didn’t like tha... that woman either," Cora muttered. "But she had a point about one thing. Taking responsibility."