Chapter 674
Marion quickly explained, "That was because..."
Debra cut him off. "And you pointed a gun at me. Were you trying to kill me?"
"No. Kale's reflexes are top-notch. He would never let you die."
"So, you were just gambling with my life, trusting a stranger to protect me? What if he hadn't reacted fast enough?"
"I raised the gun one centimeter higher. Even if he failed to react, the bullet wouldn't hit you."
Overcome with sadness, Debra threw herself into his arms, finally letting out all the frustration, fear, and anger she'd been holding in for days.
"Do you even know what Drake is like? He is a monster," she sobbed, burying her face in Marion's chest.
Randy made a quick gesture to the others in the room, signaling them to stay quiet and move carefully. One by one, they slipped out of the room. On his way out, Randy closed the door behind him, giving the two some privacy.
"I know," Marion whispered, stroking her back. "You're safe now. I'm here with you."
Debra gradually calmed down. She looked up at him and asked, "Do you know each other?"
Marion nodded solemnly. "Yeah, we were like brothers."
Debra fell silent for a moment, processing his words. "Drake thought the person I contacted this afternoon was Juan. He drugged me, hoping to use me as leverage against him or negotiate some kind of deal. But he didn't know about our connection, so things didn't go as he planned."
"I had to make it clear to him that you didn't mean anything to me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left you behind and escaped alone," Marion explained.
Debra frowned. "Are you sure he didn't have a backup plan?"
Drake had sounded so confident earlier, as if his men were already deployed around the area.
"Drake is all about mind games," Marion said, shaking his head. "But that won't work on me." Debra realized there were no hidden reinforcements.
"Now it makes sense why Drake, knowing that Edgar had purposefully stranded us in Flesta, only had Kale working secret without taking any open action. It turns out that he simply doesn't have the manpower to confront Edgar's forces here."
"Exactly. He knows better than to challenge the local powers outright."
Debra nodded slowly, finally understanding why Drake had taken the risk of coming to Flesta in the first place.
In Seamar City, Juan had full control,
but Flesta was Edgar's turf. Givene theirce, it was safer to travel from Flesta to Orkgate.
"Didn't he know it was easier to get here than to leave?"
"He knew. I presume he has gotten what he wanted from Seamar City. That's why he was so eager to go back to Orkgate."
"He got it? That's impossible. I've locked away the ledger. He couldn't have been after something else, could he?"
Marion shook his head. It wasn't clear yet.
his eyes narrowed. She hat herself so hard that her thigh ched
His gaze drifted to Debra's leg, and.
now
bruised purple.
belongs