Chapter 805
“Why?”
“I’m sorry to inform you, sir-there’s been an incident ahead. The area’s in chaos, organized terrorist unrest. And it’s also a designated war zone.”
Jarrod’s dark eyes narrowed instantly, a deep furrow cutting across his brow. “How bad is it?”
“It’s serious, sir. There’s real danger. My advice is to stop here.” The bodyguard glanced at the GPS. “We’re less than two kilometers out, and the whole sector’s being locked down.”
Even as he finished speaking, Jarrod heard an explosion rumble in the distance. The shockwave rattled his eardrums.
A lockdown.
Which meant there was a good chance they’d be trapped, at least for a while.
His chest tightened, his expression turning grim. “Hold on.”
He quickly dialed Elodie’s number again.
Still no answer.
This kind of uncertainty was something he couldn’t risk, not even a little.
If Elodie was still in that area, the danger was extreme. There was a very real possibility that—
Jarrod’s lips pressed into a hard, bloodless line. He wasted no time and immediately called the embassy.
He needed someone with authority to step in.
He had to do everything possible to keep Elodie safe.
But the embassy would need time to respond.
Jarrod wasn’t about to just wait.
His eyes focused, and he swiftly placed a call back home.
He was operating alone here, which limited what he could do. But back home, Elodie’s identity carried serious weight. The best shot was to alert top officials and have them reach out to the local authorities at once. That was the most reliable way to break through the deadlock.
Once he’d made the call, he looked straight ahead.
With the unrest up ahead, it made sense that the signal would be down.
Getting through to Elodie anytime soon was unlikely.
He glanced at his watch, then, voice low and steely, made his decision: “Gentlemen, I’ll pay whatever it takes. Gather every man you can and go in to find my wife. Keep her safe-at all costs.”
There were no other choices.
Sitting and waiting would be suicide. Real bullets didn’t care about anyone’s
patience.
The
I forces-men hardened t
and chaos. For them, this
urity team he’d hired were
sort of thing was just
day.
They exchanged glances when Jarrod named his price, then immediately relayed the order up the chain.
“No problem. But, sir, we can’t guarantee the outcome.”
“I’m not asking for guarantees. Just do everything you can to find her, as fast as possible.”
Every second counted. There was no time to lose.
They agreed without hesitation.
Jarrod checked the time again, his sharp features set in determination. “I’m coming with you.”
There was no way he’d just sit back and wait. With every group mobilized, and backup arranged, he’d do whatever it took.
The team leader looked at him with a mix of surprise and respect.
For most outsiders, the instinct was fear-self-preservation above all else. No one would risk everything like this.
One of the big men up front said, with genuine admiration, “Sir, you must really love your wife.”
Jarrod kept calling Elodie, never looking up. “I do. She’s everything to me.”
When the vehicles reached the edge of the conflict zone, the situation was even worse.
Gunfire echoed without pause.
Jarrod stepped out. “Split up. Here’s her photo—her name’s Elodie.”
He sent the image from his phone to the team.
“Understood.”
As black smoke coiled through the sky, Jarrod’s face grew even more resolute as
he pushed deeper into the chaos.
Meanwhile―
Elodie’s group was suddenly stopped by a local militia.
Even
hostility-lawless and
bine ma distance, she could feel
the kind of threat you couldn’t reason with.
Among the group, a deep blue sports car stood out.
Such an expensive vehicle in a place like this looked almost surreal, completely out of place in the midst
of violence and ruin. Conte