Chapter 74: Chase

Although she didn’t know what had transpired between the two men in the room, seeing Adams’ expression, Ailin couldn’t help but approach Masashi and ask what he had said to Adams.

Masashi repeated their conversation verbatim, causing the mixed-race beauty to widen her eyes in disbelief.

“Are you out of your mind? With the kind of person Adams is, he absolutely won’t let this go.” If it weren’t for the people nearby, she might have shouted out loud.

“Does it matter? From the moment I got involved in this, it was already destined that Adams and I would be on opposing sides.”

Ailin thought for a moment. He was right.

“By the way, I forgot to ask earlier—Rolando, is he a widower? Otherwise, why haven’t I seen his wife or children?” Masashi asked.

Ailin chuckled. “His wife and daughter went to Canada on short notice. They should be back in a few days.”

“His wife is Canadian?”

“Yes,” Ailin replied.

“Let’s not talk about that. When are we heading back to Montreux’s house? I really don’t have anything to say to these people.”

“It wouldn’t look good if we left now. At least wait until after dinner. Please bear with it for a little while longer,” Ailin whispered in a consoling tone.

Masashi reluctantly nodded.

Finally, at 9 p.m., the gathering came to an end. Carrying the already asleep Amy, Masashi got into the car heading back.

“Masashi, try not to go out in the next few days unless necessary,” Ailin said while driving.

“Because of Adams?” Masashi yawned from the back seat.

“Exactly. Do you know why Adams’ reputation in the family is so poor?”

“Tell me.”

“It’s because he’s the first member of the Defoe family to get involved in arms dealing. While the family has its share of gray income, no one had ever engaged in drug or arms trafficking until Adams. He’s been very discreet, but his dealings were accidentally discovered by the family elders a couple of years ago. His father, Mr. Siro, was furious and even threatened to sever ties with him. But due to his mother’s intervention, the matter was dropped. Still, when Mr. Siro passed away, Adams received the smallest share of the inheritance among the brothers. This created resentment, especially towards Montreux, who inherited the most. It’s an open secret within the family. That said, Adams wields significant influence in the Swiss underworld, which is why I’m worried he might target you.”

After speaking, Ailin didn’t hear a response. She glanced back and saw Masashi staring out the car window, seemingly lost in thought.

Sighing in exasperation, she let it go.

A few minutes later, she suddenly heard Masashi say, “Ailin, you might’ve spoken a bit too late.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

“Notify the guys behind us to prepare themselves. I think someone might make a move,” Masashi said, referring to the plainclothes officers trailing them in another car.

After the sniper incident, the Swiss police had assigned plainclothes officers to monitor and protect them around the clock. Every time they went out, officers followed discreetly.

“What’s happening?” Ailin checked the rearview mirror but didn’t notice anything unusual. Nonetheless, she pulled out her phone to make a call.

“Forget it. Hold off on contacting them for now. Do you have a gun on you?” Masashi changed his mind, throwing a coat over Amy to secure her in her seat.

“Why would I have something like that?” Ailin replied, putting her phone away.

Masashi lowered the passenger seat’s backrest and climbed into the front. “I’ll drive. You move to the back and hold Amy. If I tell you to duck, don’t raise your head no matter what happens.” He grabbed the steering wheel while Ailin undid her seatbelt.

Trusting Masashi, Ailin said nothing, moving to the back to secure Amy. “What’s going on?” she asked, looking back nervously.

“We’ve had two cars trailing us for a while now. It’s obvious we’re being followed,” Masashi said while driving.

“Adams’ men?” Ailin asked, peering out the rear window.

“Most likely. The problem isn’t the tail—it’s that they’ve suddenly sped up. They might make a move, though I’m not certain. Better safe than sorry,” Masashi replied, keeping a close eye on the rearview mirror.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed. Through the mirror, Masashi saw one of the plainclothes officers in the car behind them draw a gun, watching the two approaching vehicles.

Feeling reassured by their presence, Masashi floored the gas pedal, quickly leaving the three cars behind.

The route had no red lights, and after making a turn, Masashi began to think the chase might be over. But an unsettling feeling crept up on him.

This was too easy.

Just then, a white Citroën came speeding toward them from the front. Masashi saw clearly—a man wearing sunglasses in the passenger seat was pointing a gun at them.

“Get down!” Masashi shouted, ducking his head as three gunshots shattered the driver’s side window and windshield. Glass shards grazed his neck and body.

Despite the danger, Masashi held the steering wheel tightly, keeping the car as straight as possible while slamming on the brakes. Unable to see the road, he knew any sudden movement could cause a crash.

The car screeched to a halt.

Quickly assessing the situation, Masashi restarted the car and drove forward.

The Citroën stopped momentarily but didn’t pursue, turning in the opposite direction and disappearing.

“It’s over for now,” Masashi said to Ailin.

“Are they gone?” she asked, looking back.

“They’ve left. Exciting, huh? This kind of scene is straight out of Hollywood,” Masashi joked.

“How can you joke at a time like this? We almost died back there!” Ailin said, still shaken.

“I underestimated them. Those two cars were just distractions for the officers. Looks like our opponents are smarter than expected,” Masashi said, staring at the empty window frame.

“What do we do now? Report this to the police?”

“Either that or head back to the kid’s house. Plenty of cops there already.”

Ailin nodded, still shaken.

“How’s the kid?” Masashi asked.

“She’s still asleep. Strange—after all that noise, she didn’t wake up,” Ailin replied, glancing at Amy’ serene face.

Masashi chuckled. Of course, she wouldn’t wake up. To prevent her from being frightened, he’d lightly pressed a few acupressure points earlier. She wouldn’t wake until the next day.

In five days, the will would be read. Who knows what would happen then?

Damn it, always being on the defensive. It’s about time to give those bastards a taste of their own medicine.

With that thought, Masashi’s anger flared. He unconsciously pressed harder on the accelerator.

Startled by the sudden speed, Ailin’s long, light brown hair danced wildly in the wind blowing through the shattered windows.

In the wind, she thought she saw Masashi smile.