Chapter 289
Just then, a sharp, distinctive horn sounded in the distance.
Bruno looked up and saw a long convoy of military trucks approaching. He immediately changed his tone. “You’re in luck. The soldiers are back from training. I don’t have time to deal with you anymore. Get lost!”
With that, he retreated to the guardhouse, pressed the button to slide the gate open, and waved the soldiers through.
Mark muttered under his breath, “Unbelievable. He’s just a security guard and acts like a dictator. I’m going to find a way to file a complaint!”
Mark’s temper was hot, but Donna was more ca
“Ellie, maybe we should just head back?”
As they spoke, the trucks rumbled past, one after another. Nearly a hundred soldiers, clad in camo and streaked with face paint, sat in the open beds. They looked like battle–hardened warriors, intimidating enough to make anyone instinctively hold their breath.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers spotted Eliana. He fose from his seat and waved at her.
But Eliana had already looked away. “Come on,” she said to Mark and Donna. “Let’s just go back for now.”
As she turned to leave, the soldier jumped off the truck and jogged toward her with a duffel on his back. “Mrs. Russell!”
Hearing someone call out to her, Eliana stopped and instinctively turned.
Mark and Donna froze as well, exchanging bewildered glances.
Eliana stared at the soldier’s face, smeared so heavily with camouflage paint she could barely make out his features. “Excuse me, do I know you?”
“It’s me, Ryan Jenson!” he said.
Eliana blinked. “You’re… Mr. Jenson?”
Ryan grinned. “You’re here because of my mom’s request, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why are you leaving so soon?”
“Because we don’t meet the entry requirements. We weren’t allowed inside.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought, ‘So even standing at the door of the government hall, she refuses to use her status as Franco’s goddaughter as a pass? Then Mom’s little test… Eliana has passed it.‘
Out loud, he clicked his tongue. “I should’ve known! I should’ve left you with a letter of authorization the other day so you could get in easily.”
“It’s fine,” Eliana said. She hesitated for a moment and then asked curiously, “Mr. Jenson, you’re in the military?”
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. “I forgot to mention it last time. I’m part of the field unit. We’ve been assigned here in Cover. training, and this building is where we stay when we’re off duty.”
“I see,” Eliana said with a nod.
or special
As they spoke, several of Ryan’s fellow soldiers walked over, their eyes darting back and forth between him and Eliana. “Ryan, is that your girlfriend?” one of them teased.
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Chapter 289
Eliana’s cheeks flushed instantly. Ryan waved them off. “Don’t start. She’s not my girlfriend!”
“Then who is she?”
“She’s like a sister to me,” Ryan said, dropping his voice a notch.
“Ohhh, like a sister,” they all echoed, their smirks making the word sound suggestive,
“Enough, get lost,” Ryan muttered, kicking each of them away before they could say anything else.
Then he turned back to Eliana. “Come on. I’ll take you to see the person in charge. If you can convince him, your company will have no problem renting the government hall.”
“That would be amazing!” Mark and Donna looked at Eliana with hope shining in their eyes.
Eliana let out a small breath of relief and smiled back at them. But as she stepped forward, she winced slightly.
Ryan noticed immediately. “What’s wrong with your left foot?”
Mark blurted, “It’s all that security guard’s fault!”
“Mark!” Eliana hissed, her voice sharp.
Mark bit back the rest of his words.
Ryan’s expression hardened. “What happened exactly?”
The weight in his voice instantly made Mark straighten up. “Ellie only went over to ask how we could get in, and one of the guards scared her off with a baton. She stumbled out of the guardhouse and twisted her ankle.”
Ryan’s face darkened further. Eliana had been personally “brought” into this circle by him and Beverly, and now this had happened?
“Which guard?” he asked
Mark pointed without hesitation. “That one. His name’s Bruno.”
The two guards in the guardhouse went pale as Ryan’s cold gaze cut their way.
Bruno’s forehead was slick with sweat. He could tell Eliana knew Ryan. ‘Why didn’t she say anything earlier?‘
Ryan turned away at last. “Ellie, let me help you.”
“No need, Mr. Jenson,” Eliana said quickly. “Donna can help me.”
“Fine,” Ryan said. He didn’t argue and simply instructed Donna to make sure she supported Eliana properly.
Back in the guardhouse, Bruno was staring after them, stammering in panic. “She–she actually knows Mr. Jean’s son?!”
“Not just knows him,” the other guard said, his voice hushed. “Didn’t you see? Mr. Jean’s son was about to help her himself. T
lose.
Bruno’s breathing quickened. “We’re screwed. I laid hands on her earlier. And I even bragged that my nephew is a friend of Mr. Jean’s assistant. What if this gets my nephew in trouble too?”
Meanwhile, as Donna helped Eliana past a military truck, a massive working dog jumped down from the passenger seat and barked furiously at the three strangers. The animal was nearly half a person tall, and Eliana instinctively took a step back.
Chapter 289
“Rex, sit!” Ryan’s voice rang out.
At once, the dog obeyed, plopping down and wagging his tail at Ryan with his tongue lolling out.
Ryan stepped forward to ruffle the dog’s head. “Sorry if he scared you. This is Rex, a K9 narcotics dog. He’s just being cautious because you’re
strangers.”
Mark gave an awkward laugh. “A narcotics dog? That’s impressive.”
Donna added, “Yeah. Rex’s a government employee. Gets all the perks too.”
The two of them laughed it off, easing the tension from a moment ago.
Ryan reached into his pocket, pulled out a small ball, and held it under Rex’s nose before tossing it toward the guardhouse. “Go, Rex
The K9 bolted after the ball in a blur of muscle and fur.
A moment later, loud shrieks erupted from inside the guardhouse. Clearly, Rex’s sudden appearance had scared the life out of Bruno and his partner.
When Rex trotted back with the ball clenched in his jaws, another scream came from the guardhouse. “Somebody help! Bruno passed out!”
Ryan only raised an eyebrow. Then he turned back to Eliana. “Let’s go.”
Eliana glanced at him, unable to hide her amusement. ‘He’s more devious than I thought. He actually used his dog to scare Bruno.*
A few minutes later…
Ryan led Eliana and the others into the administrative building. He stopped in front of an office door and looked at her. “The person in charge is in there. Go in and talk to him yourself.”
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