The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 409

Beyond the flickering fire, the distant hum of a car engine drifted closer.

Abbot led his men around the red house. Behind it, two vans were parked, ready and waiting. He shoved Petty into one of them, not bothering to look at her face. Petty didn’t fight back. She knew it wouldn’t help. As much as she wanted to break free, Abbot wasn’t going to kill her—not yet, at least. She just needed to keep calm and wait for the right moment. If she wanted any chance to escape before they reached the border, she would have to bide her time.

On the other side of the flames, a badly injured bodyguard clawed his way out of a wrecked car. He propped himself up against the twisted frame of the door, his whole body shaking, barely able to keep himself upright. Through blurry eyes, he saw a car racing toward him, the license plate just visible for a split second.

It was Franco.

Franco barely waited for his car to stop before throwing open the door. The salty wind coming off the docks whipped around him, swirling thick smoke through the air. He hurried over to the struggling bodyguard, gripping his arm to keep him steady.

“Where’s Petty?” Franco’s voice was low but sharp, crackling with urgency.

“I’m sorry, Franco… Abbot took her. They forced her into a van. They went west…”

Without another word, Franco slammed the door and peeled off, heading west along the dark road.

He already knew Petty’s car was making for the outskirts. He’d given his orders even before he arrived, calling his men and the police, telling them to shut down every exit out of Cabinda.

Abbot must have heard something was up, but he didn’t have anywhere to run. Trapped inside the city now, he had run right into Franco’s snare.

Out to the west, beyond the city, there was a new high-speed rail line. Not open for traffic yet, with construction debris left everywhere. No car could make it through. The only way out was over the barren hills beside the station, and past that, endless mountains leading far away from Cabinda.

A car couldn’t get through, but a helicopter could. Franco knew it. Abbot probably did too. If Abbot managed to get past that line, they would end up far outside Cabinda’s reach. In those other cities, Abbot had allies. Franco had some people out there as well, but he couldn’t risk leaving Petty’s safety to anyone else.

He stomped on the accelerator, the engine screaming beneath him, and pulled out his phone. He didn’t hesitate, just dialed a number he knew could change everything. As soon as the call connected, he spoke, his voice dark and steady.

“Get the armed helicopters in the air. Tell Jay. Now.”

***

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