BOOKSDRAMA Chapter 1764
Chapter 1764: It's better this way
"Ask me if I'd cross the line for my people. I'd even cross Satan if he messed with me or my people. You are one of them... aren't you? Or are you not?"
Between Penny and Shawn, who was the real idiot?
Or rather, who was the bigger idiot?
The one who had already gotten away but was now walking back into trouble? Or
the one who had finally achieved what he'd been working toward for the past decade... only to falter at the last second?
Another tear rolled down Shawn's cheek as he looked at the woman calling him an idiot. He hadn't even realized he was crying until his vision started to blur.
Thud!
Shawn slammed his hands against the floor, bowing his head low as it struck the ground.
"I'm sorry," he pleaded, voice trembling with suppressed tears. "Miss Penny, I... please... forgive me. I'm sorry!"
Penny's shoulders slumped as she stared down at the towering man now kowtowing before her. She dragged her fingers through her hair, ruffling it as her head throbbed faintly.
This situation had just revealed two things:
First, whoever sent Shawn was already making their move.
Second, Penny and her team weren't ahead of the enemy-they were neck and neck in a marathon, sprinting the final leg.
"I'm sorry!" Shawn cried. "I— I didn't want to betray you, but I... I'm sorry."
He didn't make excuses. He didn't say, "I had no choice." He simply asked for forgiveness and that was enough to tell Penny that he knew his share of the blame.
She exhaled hard and ran a hand down her face.
"Get up," she muttered.
He didn't move.
With an irritated sigh, she marched to him and grabbed his shoulder. When he straightened up, her palm smacked across his cheek before another apology could escape his lips.
Shawn froze. His head turned from the blow, eyes wide and tearful. Slowly, he looked back at her.
"I said get up," she repeated through gritted teeth. "And get yourself together. This is just the beginning of our nightmare if you don't realize that yet."
She released his shoulder and looked around her office. "Is there anything else in here?" she asked, already suspecting the answer.
Shawn didn't respond right away, still touching the cheek she'd just slapped. But when Penny shot him a sharp glare, he flinched.
"Uh, no," he replied. "Just the wiretap."
"Where?"
Shawn gulped and pointed at the vase on the stand.
Without hesitation, Penny walked over, pulled out the flowers, and shoved her hand into the water. She withdrew a small device, partially wrapped in a rock to keep it submerged.
The light blinked red.
"Where is this connected now?" she asked, turning back to him.
Shawn stared at her in a daze, prompting her to grit her teeth.
"Shawn! I said keep it together! Do I need to keep repeating myself?"
Snapping back to his senses, Shawn nodded quickly. "I—I broke it."
During her earlier conversation with Mint, Zoren, and Hugo, Shawn had been dealing with the article mess, but in one ear, he wore a hidden earpiece. A habit he'd shown everyone, so they assumed he was just listening to music while working.
"I broke it once I was sure the code was in your possession," he clarified, voice still cracking slightly.
"And there's nothing else in this office?"
He shook his head. "Adding more would've raised alarms. But I think other parts
of the company have surveillance devices. I saw someone I recognized the other day, posing as a part-time janitor."
"I see." Penny nodded, her mind racing. After a second, she jerked her chin toward him.
"Pick up the gun and the code."
"But-"
"Shawn." Her voice darkened. "I don't want to do this either. But if I don't, you and I both know someone else will come and finish the job."
Shawn fell silent, staring at her. He knew she was right, but he hadn't thought about it that way until now.
"If that happens," she continued, "there's no guarantee blood won't be spilled. They'll hurt others to get the code if they have to."
And the last thing she wanted was for her family, friends—or any of her people— to get caught in the crossfire because of this damn code.
"It's better this way," she said firmly. "At least now, I can maintain some control. So pick up the damn gun. And the damn code. And get up."
Shawn's breath hitched, but he did as she asked. He picked up the gun and the book and stood.
By the time he was upright, Penny had already marched over. She stopped just a step in front of him and pressed a finger to his chest.
"You acted the coward so well that even I believed it," she said. "So act like you mean to kill me this time. Do you hear me?"
He gulped, locking eyes with her. After a moment, he wiped his face with his sleeve and nodded.
"But they'll kill you," he whispered. "I'm supposed to bring you with me to ensure
we both get out alive."
"We?"
"There's someone waiting in the parking garage. The plan is to take you with us.
If we leave you behind, it'll trigger a deadly chase."
"But there's nothing in the plan to keep you long. Knowing them, they'll probably
ditch you once we're out of Anteca."
"What's our mode of transportation?"
"A chopper."
Penny nodded, looking away briefly before turning back to him.
"Then let's do it."
"But Miss Penny-"
"Do it. Do it like you mean it."
"I... I can't."
"You can't?"
Shawn hesitated, then nodded. "I'm supposed to sedate you once we reach the car."
He pulled a syringe from his suit pocket.
"This'll knock you out for at least half a day. If I use it, by the time you wake up...
it might be while falling out of a chopper into the ocean."
"..." Penny said nothing, just staring at the syringe.
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Without a word, she walked back to
her desk and rifled through one of the drawers. After a moment, she returned with a few syringes and held one out to him. The content is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
"Here," she said. "Give me that one, and use this instead."
Shawn blinked. "This is...?"
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"They're samples-some experimental sedatives sent to me for evaluation. This one's strongm Sone's enough to induce a short-term shock. Not that kind of shock-but it'll knock
me out. Just long enough. I'll wake up in time... but I might be a little different when I do." The content is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest chapter there!
He stared at her, then nodded, trading syringes with her. Penny returned the
original to her desk.
"Also, Shawn," she said, her back to him. "I have a lot of questions for you. But..."
She paused, her lips pressing into a hard line.
"...they'll kill you."
"What?"
A dark glint flickered in her eyes.
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"If I were the enemy, I'd kill you. For
many reasons. That guy is waiting for us in the underground parking garage? He's not just there to make
sure you get back safely. He's there
to retrieve the code..." The content is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest chapter there!
She turned slightly, gaze sharp and dark.
"...and cut the last link connecting them to this mess."