Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 374

"Keep up," Camilla ordered Charles in a frosty tone.

Charles trailed behind Julie's car, steering through the winding streets with practiced ease. "Miss, shall we make our move?" he inquired, the concern for timing evident in his voice.

Julie seemed vulnerable, alone in her car – the perfect opportunity to strike.

But Camilla had no intention of acting just yet; she instructed Charles to merely follow. With no choice but to comply, he continued the pursuit.

At the entrance of the Nine-one Shooting Grounds, Kleist had been waiting for Julie's arrival for some time.

To Julie, Kleist no longer seemed as intimidating as he once did. She understood that his obedience to Rowan was absolute, ingrained in him as if from birth, as though it was the only education he'd ever received.

As soon as Julie stepped out of her car, Kleist aimed a gun at her.

Startled, Julie instinctively raised her hands in surrender. Weren't they supposed to spare her life?

Kleist's finger hooked around the trigger without intent to shoot. His gesture was clear...

"Take it," he commanded, his voice as cold as an order.

Julie's hands trembled slightly as she took the gun, her brows furrowing in confusion. "What's this for?"

"The boss thinks you're feeling insecure. This should give you a sense of safety. But if you dare shoot at him, you're going to have a very bad time," Kleist stated matter-of-factly, without a hint of emotion.

Julie managed a strained smile, more awkward than comforting, and said, "Kleist, your English is much better than before. Were you holding back all this time?"

She remembered, during her previous unpleasant encounter with them, Kleist's English had been less than fluent.

Kleist, of course, didn't mention that his lack of language skills had subjected him to a grueling period of practice on Rowan's insistence, almost to the point of exhaustion.

Having grown accustomed to Kleist's icy demeanor over their few interactions, Julie simply followed him, gun in hand, to meet Rowan.

Rowan was practicing his shooting, seemingly oblivious to Julie and Kleist's arrival.

It wasn't until he had fired his last bullet that he turned around to face Julie, not uttering a single word.

Feeling unnerved under his gaze, Julie extended her hand, "My phone, please?"

Rowan gave Kleist a glance, and without hesitation, Kleist handed Julie her phone. She checked it quickly and asked, "You didn't make any copies of the photos, did you?"

"I don't enjoy gazing at the body of someone with a cross-dressing fetish."

Truth be told, if Kieran knew Rowan said that about him, there might be hell to pay.

Julie steered the conversation back to the main issue: "The USB drive you gave me last time had nothing on it."

She clutched the gun tightly, her whole body tense as if on high alert for Rowan's approach. He leaned forward ever so slightly, and she instantly raised the gun towards him.

Kleist moved to intervene, but noticing the gun wasn't loaded, he halted.

"Step back," Rowan's words were directed at Kleist.

Hesitant, Kleist evaluated the woman before him. Despite her delicate appearance, she seemed as dangerous as a trained assassin, particularly with the gun in her hand and Rowan within close range. Yet, Rowan's tone was decisive, and Kleist reluctantly obeyed, leaving the scene.

The vast shooting range now contained only Julie and Rowan.

Julie felt even more on edge.

With each step Rowan took towards her, she retreated until backed against a chain-link fence. She held out the gun and warned, "Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot..."

Rowan's lips curved into a sly, almost charming smile. "MoMo, have you ever killed anyone?"

Silence fell. It was a strike at her vulnerability. She had only practiced martial arts as a child, killing someone was out of the question.

"I may not have the guts to kill you, but if you come any closer... I will shoot, I mean it..."

"The bullet needs to be chambered to be ready to fire," he pointed out, giving her a helpful tip.

Embarrassed by her own ignorance, Julie looked down at the gun, finally readying it, and warned him again, "You asked me here to talk about the USB. Let's talk, but don't come any closer, or it might go off accidentally..."

"Darling, do you think I'd give you a loaded gun?" Rowan closed the gap between them.