Sweet Revenge: Jace & Emerald

Cedrick continues going down the narrow, dimly lit stairs behind the old bookshelf. Each step creaked softly beneath his weight, echoing in the tight space. He held his breath, hoping no one above could hear him. The air grew colder as he went further down. He felt relieved that he had managed to send Ronnie a message and hoped he would also start informing the others.

At the bottom, Cedrick pushed open a heavy wooden door and stepped into a room that made him pause. The place had been transformed into something that looked like a hospital room. The center has white walls, medical equipment, and a single hospital bed. On that bed lay Ember, unconscious and pale. He walked slowly to her side, his heart pounding. He reached out a hand to check her pulse, but a voice stopped him. “Who are you?” The voice was shaky, full of fear.

Cedrick turned quickly to see a man in his white polo and black pants standing near a table covered in medical tools. The man’s eyes were wide with panic, and he noticed that he was beaten up.

“I’m Cedrick,” he said softly, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. Seeing how fearful-looking the man was, he assumed he was Dr. Sanders. “I’m a private investigator. I work for Mr. Landers. I’m here to help.”

The doctor hesitated, his eyes darting around the room. “Help? Who’s Mr. Landers?” he echoed, confused and still scared. He didn’t want to trust the man anymore because, just the other day, someone also came into the room, telling him he would help him and Ember escape. He agreed, only to find out that it was a trap. Emerson tests whether he would betray him if given a chance, and that incident makes Mr. Morgan so angry that he wants to kill the doctor if not for Ember, who needs him.

“Yes, help,” Cedrick assured him. “I know this looks bad, but I’m here to get Ember out. To stop whatever the person who took her is doing.”

“Are you nuts? We won’t be able to escape from here. I don’t even know where we are!” the doctor exclaimed. “And don’t you know who took her yet?”

“No, you tell me. We found your note in the house where you left off, and I know exactly where we are.” The investigator said confidently.

“It was Mr. Morgan. Apparently, he was so in love with Lucy,” Dr. Sanders said, and Cedrick’s eyes widened. Then he took out his phone, trying to connect to Ronnie.

“There’s no signal here. I’ve tried many times but failed.” Dr. Sanders said, realizing what the man before him was doing. “It’s also the reason why there’s no surveillance camera here. They are confident that I won’t be able to call anyone no matter what.”

“No matter what, I already informed another investigator about where I was. I’m sure he would tell everyone about it.”

Dr. Sanders’ expression softened a little, his eyes showing a glimmer of hope. “But… one of Mr. Morgan’s men will be back soon,” he whispered, glancing at the door nervously.

Cedrick’s heart raced as he heard footsteps approaching. He quickly ducked behind a large table, pressing himself against the cold wall. He peered out just enough to see a tall, muscular man enter the room, carrying a food tray.

The man had a scar running down his cheek and cold, dark eyes that seemed to pierce through everything he looked at. His presence filled the room with a sense of danger. Dr. Sanders stiffened, his face turning pale.

“Hey, doc,” the man growled, setting the tray on a nearby table. “Food.”

Dr. Sanders forced a smile, trying to keep his voice steady. “Thank you,” he said, glancing nervously at Cedrick’s hiding spot. “Do you know when Mr. Morgan will visit Ms. Lucy?”

The man’s expression darkened. “Why do you care?” he snapped. “Just do your job and keep quiet.” He stepped closer to Dr. Sanders, his eyes narrowing.

Dr. Sanders swallowed hard, trying to keep the man’s attention. “I just… I just want to make sure everything is ready. Ms. Lucy needs a lot for her medication, and none of the medicines here are good for her,” he stammered.

The man glared at him, then suddenly shoved Dr. Sanders hard. The doctor stumbled back and fell to the floor with a cry of pain. Cedrick’s fists clenched, but he stayed hidden, knowing it wasn’t the right moment to act.

The man sneered down at Dr. Sanders. “Mind your own business. The boss had not given any orders, so make use of everything available,” he spat. He turned and began to walk out of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing in the silence.

Cedrick waited, his breath held, as the door closed behind the man. He emerged from his hiding spot and rushed to Dr. Sanders’ side. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

Dr. Sanders nodded shakily, his eyes filled with fear and relief. “Yes,” he whispered back. “But we need to hurry; I don’t have enough Diprivan to keep Ms. Lucy asleep whenever necessary. And she should have all the nutrition she needs to get better.”

“What do you mean?” Cedrick asked curiously.

“She has woken up, but I need to put her to sleep so I can still tend to her and keep her safe from Mr. Morgan.”

“Why didn’t the old man know about it?”

“I kept it from him. I knew how much he wanted Ms. Lucy to wake up, and once she did, he would surely take me out of the picture,” Cedrick thought for a while. He understands why Dr. Sanders did it, but he starts to worry for Ember because of her continuous intake of the medicine that her body doesn’t necessarily need.

Meanwhile, Ronnie was still on the couch when Cedrick left. The old man who was shouting earlier was still doing the same. He was so annoyed that he wanted to pulverize him along with the other old men who were now doing the same. But he calmed himself because he didn’t want their mission to fail. He wanted to ensure that he and Cedrick could find out whether Ember and Dr. Sanders were still in there.

Many minutes passed, and Ronnie wondered what Cedrick was doing or whether he had found something to lead them to their mission. He was about to get his drink when his phone buzzed with Cedrick’s message. He quickly read it, then slipped his phone back into his pocket. He needed to find Jace and tell him what was happening. He turned to leave, but a large bouncer stepped in his way.

“Where are you going?” the bouncer asked, his voice deep and rough. Ronnie felt a surge of worry but took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Just need to step outside for a bit,” Ronnie said, forcing a smile. The bouncer frowned, eyes narrowing.

“Why so sudden?” the bouncer asked again. “You’re a new customer, so I’ve been watching you.” He held out a hand. “Give me your phone.”

Ronnie hesitated but knew he had no choice. He handed over his phone, heart pounding. The bouncer started scrolling through his messages. Ronnie watched, trying to look relaxed. Although he was confident that the man wouldn’t be able to get anything, he couldn’t shake off the truth that the bouncer had his eyes on him. If he did, he would know that he came with Cedrick, and he didn’t know what he would answer that would not make him suspicious.

The bouncer’s face was stern as he read. Most of the messages were from Ronnie’s wife. The bouncer’s eyes softened a bit when he reached the last message.Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

“I can’t believe you went to a nightclub and spent money on a woman to take her into a room. Life has been hard, so I set it even though I love books. And yet you hide those things from me!” the text said.

The bouncer snorted and handed the phone back to Ronnie. “Wife trouble, huh?” he said with a smirk.

Ronnie nodded, relieved. “Yeah, she’s really mad. I better calm her down since I didn’t want her to leave me.”

“Don’t you have anyone with you?” the bouncer asked, looking around.

“Fuck! Where the hell did that idiot go?” Ronnie exclaimed, acting like his friend had left him. “Is he the one who sold me out to my wife?” he added angrily.

The bouncer stepped aside, still smirking. “Go and make that bastard pay.”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! He was the one who said that we will enjoy tonight, and yet, shit bastard!” Ronnie mutters making sure that bouncer hears him as he quickly leaves the club, his heart still racing. He had to inform Jace and the others about what Cedrick had texted him and make a plan.