Forty-two - To be exposed or not

"Chloe!" Amir shouted one more time as his despair took a toll on him and had him giving up sooner than he expected. "We passed this place earlier didn't we?"

"I guess we did. It is so hard to tell." Though the fire break had been taken care of, the air was still a bit smoky.

"It has been two hours already. Where else could she be?" Amir asked Sebastian dejectedly.

"What if-" Sebastian quickly withdrew the rest of his words.

"What if what? Tell me Sebastian. If there is something you suspect, don't hold back, please."

Sebastian looked down at the dirty ground, his boot drawing lines. "While I was waiting for you guys, I heard them mention something about a bait."

"Who?" Amir perked. "Was it the boss that ordered them to get a bait? Do you think Chloe has been taken by them? Oh shit..." Amir took steps back as his head hurt and his heart ached.

"I can't say for sure if they were talking about Chloe. But-"

"We don't see her around do, we? We have searched the entire ground and there is no sign of her. Ahh, shit!" He attacked the air with an angry punch. "Who is this person that Tate reports to?"

"His name is Macknicoff. But I found out he is not the actual boss."

"Then who is?" Amir was finding the whole situation frustrating.

"I can't say. They didn't mention his name. Weirdly," Sebastian frowned. ",they kept calling him Master."

"He was there?"

"No. He communicated through a call."

"Okay? So, did he order the fire to be started?"

"Actually, one of the members went berserk and set the place on fire."

Amir sighed. "Do you think they have Chloe?" he asked wearily.

"It is very possible."

"Damn it!"

Lucille who had been listening quietly, said, "What are we going to do now?"

"I think we need to gather enough information on this people so we would know what next to do."

"We can't just leave Chloe like that," Lucille said.

"But we have no idea where she is. Let's go back and get ourselves better equipped for the search ahead."

Amir had no choice but to agree. But he was going to make sure that before the day ran out, he was going to be back in that junkyard searching for her still.

In total silence, the trio rode back in Sebastian's van back to the house. As soon as they got there, Nathaniel, Kate and Gabriel were on the porch talking.

Feeling even more dejected and tired as he knew what was about to come, Amir got down and walked towards the men.

"Guys..."

"What's up? You look like you fought a war. Oh, Lucille's back," Gabriel said but Nathaniel's eyes were trained far beyond.

"Where is Chloe?" Amir's eyes met Nathaniel's.

"I-"

He felt a tap from behind.

"Let me Amir. Nathaniel, this is all my fault. There was an fire outbreak at the junkyard and-"

"And?" He was impatient.

"In the process of looking for shields, we lost Chloe."

"L-lost?" Nathaniel chuckled after as he slowly got up. "Lost how?"

"We didn't find her despite our searches. It is almost as though she was whipped away."

"By who? Amir?" Nathaniel faced his friend. "Talk to me." Amir looked further away, his heart ripping as he thought of the kind of unbearable things Chloe might be put through.

"Who are these people who have taken her?"

Sebastian distraughtly faced Gabriel who was trying to calm Nathaniel. "We can't say for sure. Right now, all I have are names and in order not to waste time, I need to dig into their profiles before today ends."

"What happens after that?" Nathaniel strongly asked, his hands on his waist, his worry growing bigger.

"We have to back to that junkyard and perform a much more thorough search."

"What if Chloe is no longer there? What if they have been opportuned to move her elsewhere?" Gabriel asked.

Sebastian had his tired eyes swinging from one person to another as he also had a mind being calculative and chaotic at the same time. After a strained silence, he said, "Let's just work with what we have now." Then he dropped a heavy sentence. "And let's hope Chloe remains safe."

~

She was alive alright. But the state of being safe was far fetched.

After Markings huge reveal, he had her sedated and that knocked her out specifically for one hour. Soon, that window expired and Chloe found herself between consciousness and pain.

As she made to raise her head, she felt cold liquid splashing against her face, doing the instant job of bringing her back to her reality.

"Glad you are able to join me."

Chloe scoffed at the man with the dirty smile. "Are you Tate's boss? Are you even who the-" She felt a sharp pain down her throat and she smacked her mouth severally to make it feel less... pinchy.

"I know you have a lot of questions. But..." He squatted to her level. "I am here for something entirely different. Chloe..." As he said her name, he wore a worried look and reached for one of her roped hands. As she flinched to get it out of her grasp, she cried.

It was tied in a way that would ensure torture.

"Don't fight it Chloe, you will only get hurt."

Her eyes glaring at his huge nose, she said, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I need you."

"Uh?"

He grabbed her chin and made her glare even more into his now ruthless eyes. "I need you so I can destroy the NAG brothers."

Chloe fought his hold and he released without hassle. "Why would you want them destroyed?"

He got up. "I told you Chloe, I am not exactly here to answer questions. Actually, I am here to offer you a deal."

"A deal?" That didn't sound so good.

"Yes. It is a deal that works with choices. So..." He gave a wicked smile. "The deal is in your hands."

"What is this deal?"

"This is why I like you. You are so smart." She sent him another glare. "Okay, here it is. Your freedom is guaranteed if and only if you agree to help me plant evidence that will put those brothers in jail once and for all."

"If I say no?"

"You risk being exposed. See Chloe, if you say no, I will make sure they all know who you really are. So, choose wisely."

Chloe looked away. Markings was crazy. Extraordinarily crazy. "Does the Agency know you are this kind of person?"

"No questions Chloe!" he hollered. "So..." the tone of his voice softened and he moved closer. "... Chloe, which is your choice? To be exposed or... not."