Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours! - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Searching For Clues IV
“I am sorry about this, Ewan. I just thought that…”

The president would be different?

Athena bit her lip, recalling Ewan’s words that emphasized the untrustworthiness of anyone in government, including the president.

Despite her own experiences with them firsthand, she had refuted his points twice—only to be hit squarely in the face with harsh reality.

Athena sighed, staring at the far end of the room, unable to meet Ewan’s gaze, unsure of what she would see there. She wasn’t certain she could take it, not with the whirlwind of feelings swirling within her—anger, resentment, confusion, disbelief, along with a bouquet of other emotions she couldn’t quite pin down.

Perhaps it was due to her instinctive survival mode kicking in…

She had assumed that this evening would be a smooth sail, given that the early hours had been anything but. But it seemed she had hoped too soon.

Sighing again, she threw her head back to rest against the taller stack of boxes, seeking the coolness of the surface to calm her racing thoughts.

“I don’t think we should cast the president in a negative light just yet. It’s possible the gang had some awareness of us being here. Maybe there was a watch-person…”

Sandro shook his head sharply, cutting Aiden off. The scowl on his face was evidence of the anger bubbling within him. “This place had been shut down. The sandbags at the exit had just been precautionary measures… even if they had assumed that we would come, they would have trusted there was no way we could have gotten past those bags…”

“Maybe getting the bags out of the way triggered some alarm in their system… maybe the bags are wired…”

Silence greeted Aiden’s statement. He looked around at the team, hopeful eyes expecting them to align with his reasoning. But none of them did. He sighed and raised his hands to elaborate further, but Ewan stopped him.

“Why are you so bent on defending the president, Aiden?” There was no resentment in his tone, nor accusation—just frustration at the unfolding events.

“Because I can’t wrap my head around the idea that the president of a country would want to infect his citizens with a dangerous disease for profit. That’s absurd. Secondly, he just doesn’t fit that profile.”

Aiden paused, his gaze focused on the sandy floor, a sense of doubt creeping in. “I’ve served under various leaders and with many types of people, and I can tell you, the president is not behind the disease. He might not be a saint, but he isn’t responsible for the numerous deaths around the globe. I… I don’t think so.”

Ewan folded his lips, keenly observing Aiden while analyzing the conviction with which the latter spoke.

“Well, if you say so. You’re the one who has worked with the president for some time, so I’ll trust your judgment. But if you’re right, it would mean that someone in the secret service has betrayed him…”

Aiden opened his mouth to contest that as well, to explain that the secret service was as loyal as the word could imply, but he closed his mouth, sensing that continuing would only trigger another conflict. Ewan had already accepted his opinion of the president; he would have to make do with that small victory.

“Perhaps. When we’re out of here, we can discuss this with the president. For now, let’s brainstorm on how to get out of here alive. Are you three armed?” He finally spoke, darting a sharp glance at Athena.

The three friends exchanged glances and turned to Aiden, shaking their heads in unison.

“I didn’t know we needed guns to search for clues…” Zane muttered, looking between Aiden and Athena. “Are you two armed?”

Aiden shrugged his shoulders. “Better safe than sorry. It was like a backup plan.” He answered, retrieving a Glock pistol from his coat.

Athena followed suit, getting to her feet, determination setting her jaw as she readied herself. “So, what’s the plan?” She asked, facing the part of the room where the walls had slid open some minutes ago.

Aiden stood up alongside the three males. “First, let’s try not to die. Ewan, you and your friends should stay behind us.”

“Or try to find a way out of here…” Athena interjected, giving Ewan a knowing look.

“You think there’s another passageway out of here?” Ewan asked softly, a furrow creasing his forehead.

“I think so, considering the range of the voices and the possible thinness of the walls,” Athena replied, then pointed at a hammer lying close to Sandro. “If you can’t find a hidden entrance, you can use the hammer to locate the weakest point and break us out of here.”

Ewan nodded and got to work alongside Sandro and Zane, each taking different areas of the room and gently tapping on the walls, listening for a hollow sound that would indicate a secret spot.

Meanwhile, Athena and Aiden stood poised, guns ready at their sides, eyes fixed on the wall before them, ready to battle.

“Do you think we’ll survive this?” Aiden asked moments later, noting the males behind them coming up empty-handed, and the echos of flurried activities coming from behind the walls, in the previous room—the gang was making their way closer.

Athena’s tongue felt heavy in her mouth. Deep down, she knew they had a slim chance of making it out of this alive. Worse yet, there was nothing they could do—only so much that a pistol could accomplish against an entire gang. They didn’t know how many members had come for this mission.

“I see you don’t have anything to say. Well, I have lots.”

Athena lifted the gun to her lips, tilting her head to Aiden. “Don’t be so pessimistic, old man. We will survive this.”

Aiden sighed, swallowing tightly when he heard distinct knocks on the wall ahead of them, the unmistakable sound of the gang trying to break in. He tightened his grip on the gun, resolving to fight to the last breath before succumbing to death.

At that moment, another knock echoed from behind him. He turned immediately, brows raised, noticing Zane and Sandro standing near Ewan, who was tapping a particular spot on the wall like he was deciphering a code.

“What are you doing, Ewan?” Athena asked, unsure of her feelings—hope mixed with anxiety.

But before Ewan could answer, another hammering sound came from that exact point of the wall. The sound was coming from the outside.

“What is going on, Ewan?” Athena asked again, her breath light and uneven as various scenarios raced through her mind.

Ewan shrugged in response. “My own backup plan.”

Just as the words left his lips, the wall began to cave open; a hand reached through, brushing against Ewan’s body.

“Damn, you lot need to be quick… the gang is almost upon us…” Ewan continued, turning back to the wall, a scowl etched on his face.

Behind him, his team watched in open-mouthed shock. Even Sandro and Zane hadn’t been aware of this hidden plan.

Two more hammer strikes later, and there was now a sizable opening wide enough for a person to slip through. Without wasting any time, abandoning his friends in their amazed stupor, Ewan stepped through the opening into the outside world.

He popped his head back mere seconds later. “Aren’t you lot coming?”

His team, as if revived by those words, gathered their senses and scrambled into action, following Ewan through the opening toward safety.

“You were in contact with Old Mr. Thorne this entire time?” Zane asked, chuckling as he flung his hand across Ewan’s shoulders, finally shaking off the shock as he recognized the agents waiting nearby for instructions.

Ewan laughed, his eyes meeting Athena’s. She was staring at him unabashedly, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was swirling in her beautiful mind.

“Not exactly. He told me to keep in touch. So, on our way here, I sent him a text to send some watchers in case things went south. Then I had Spider locate our positions and relay them to him. That’s how they were able to pinpoint our exact location. The earlier knock was a secondary confirmation to avoid any mistakes.”

“Fast thinking, Ewan. I’m surprised you didn’t serve in the military; you would have been a tremendous asset,” Aiden said, shaking his head in admiration.

Ewan chuckled, shrugging off the compliment. “Well, I am doing that now.” He turned to the agents standing beside them. “Only you seven are here?”

The agents shook their heads in unison.

“Most of us are currently occupied with the gang members as we speak… they won’t be much of a match for us. They didn’t anticipate our presence, so their leader didn’t send many.” One of the agents spoke up, then pointed down the path.

“There are vans waiting on that route. You need to move; you’ll find a van with a driver. We’ll meet you there.”

“What about the containers?”

“We’ll take care of them when we finish dealing with the gang members.”