Chapter 422

Madelyn briefly explained the situation to Alex.

Alex paused, and her client let out a groan due to pain. She quickly said, “Hold on a moment.” Then she turned to Madelyn, ” I’ll gather some folks, and we’ll go look for him.”

Madelyn replied, “Thank you.”

Alex swiftly assembled a few friends who used to hang out with Forrest.

One of the guys said, “It’s been a long time since Forrest last came to see us. Since he left here, we haven’t been in touch much. Most of the time, it was him reaching out to us. We’re not really sure where he usually goes.”

“Yeah, even though Forrest used to scavenge for scraps with me, that was a long time ago.”

‘Scavenging for scraps?’ Madelyn had never known Forrest’s life had been that difficult in the past.

She asked, “Did he… used to have a tough life?”

The redhead chimed in, “You bet! He used to work multiple jobs, and he was the one hauling most of the seafood from the sea. Many couldn’t keep up with him.”

This was a side of Forrest that Madelyn had never known.

Alex scolded, “Why are you talking about this? Let’s get moving and start searching.”

Madelyn said, “I’ll go with you guys!”

+

Alex replied firmly, “No, you better not. Remember what happened last time. This is not a safe place, and you’re not familiar with it. We’ll handle it; once we find him, I’ll send someone to let you know.”

“Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it. To repay you for that meal last time, it’s the least we can do.”

As they spoke, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, carrying a cloth bag on his back, rushed over. “Alex, I found out something. Just around three or four o’clock today, a fierce-looking man with a scar across his eye, along with a group of people, barged into Mr. Massey’s restaurant. Mr. Massey’s restaurant is closed now. I went to his house, but he’s not there.”

Alex speculated, “He’s probably not here; he might have gone out to sea.”

As they left, Madelyn thought to herself, ‘The man with the scar across his eye… and that phone call…’

It wasn’t difficult for Madelyn to connect the dots. She had a sinking feeling that Mr. Massey had likely been held captive by the gang.

She closed her eyes and tried to recall anyone who fit the description. There’s only one person who fits: Fred Turner. In broad daylight, no one else would dare do such a thing.”

Madelyn had a vivid memory of Fred. He was ruthless, and he handled Zach’s dirty work. Fred was Zach’s most loyal henchman, and everything he did was on Zach’s orders.

‘Zach… it must be Zach again!’ Madelyn’s heart sank as she realized the horrifying truth. She stood outside Alex’s tattoo parlor in the desolate alley, feeling like she was being watched.

‘But why did Zach take Forrest? What has he done to Forrest?’ Madelyn’s heart raced. To confirm her suspicions, she removed Zach’s number from her blocked list and called him.

After five seconds, the call connected. Zach remained silent, but she could sense his breathing. She even had the eerie sensation that he was right beside her.

Madelyn started, “Do you know where Forrest is?”

Zach’s voice came with a hint of amusement, “Now you’re using your brain to think. Good, very clever!”

Madelyn thought, ‘He’s still mocking me.’ She continued, “Tell me where Forrest is, or…. I’ll call the police right now!”

“Call the police? Madelyn… Do you think calling the police will help?”

“What do you want?”

“Find me, and I’ll tell you everything. Hmm?”

Madelyn’s heart suddenly leaped. “Are you… in this village?”

Madelyn couldn’t shake the feeling that everything that had happened so far had been orchestrated by Zach.