Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 76

Kidnapped, what are you talking about?

As soon as Josh got out of the car, he ran like mad. His mind was completely tangled and confused as he ran. What came to mind was Chase, bloody, being loaded into a dilapidated car and dragged somewhere.

He has to be safe.

Josh’s face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth.

Bastards, if you hurt even a single hair on his head, I’ll kill you all. How dare you touch him? You motherfuckers.

When he arrived in front of the trailer, he was out of breath. Josh swallowed dryly and hurried his steps.

The area around the isolated trailer was utterly silent. The atmosphere was so peaceful that it was hard to believe such a big incident had occurred, making Josh suddenly doubt if he had heard correctly.

Maybe I misheard.

He thought as he opened the trailer door and went inside. Maybe Chase was still asleep on the bed. He probably was. What Mark said must have been a word with a different meaning. The phone connection might have been bad, or he might have misunderstood because he was talking while walking.

Yes, that must be it.

His hopes vanished the moment he opened the reception room door. The people gathered there all turned their gaze to Josh at once, and Mark stood up.

“Welcome, Josh. Everyone’s been waiting.”

At the moment he saw the security team, Laura the secretary, the manager, and even Laura’s assistant all looking at him with pale faces, Josh could no longer deny what he had heard.

“What exactly happened?”

He asked, trying his best to remain calm, and Mark rubbed his eyes tiredly, sighing. It was Laura who answered.

“He suddenly said he was going shopping, and everyone was flustered. We tried to persuade him that we needed to prepare, but as you know, he’s not someone who listens well… Anyway, we quickly prepared and left. We contacted the store in advance that we were coming, and somehow the word got out, and they were waiting. It happened in the blink of an eye…”

Laura closed her mouth, her face pale. Silence fell. It was Josh who spoke.

“What on earth was so important that he insisted on going out to buy it and ended up like this?”

His voice trembled thinly, trying to suppress his anger. Laura blinked, flustered. This time, it was Mark who spoke.

“A watch.”

“What?”

To Josh, whose face was contorted in disbelief, Mark yelled, as if enraged.

“A watch, damn it, a watch! The one you’re wearing on your wrist, this one right here!”

Mark raised his left arm and waved it wildly, then cursed, “Damn it!”

“Why did he have to go buy that right now?”

“Who knows what’s going on in his head!”

Mark shouted again. In the silence, his resentful cry left a faint echo and disappeared. Josh tried his best to maintain his composure and spoke.

“So what’s the plan now? Why is everyone just sitting here? Do you know who took Mr. Miller, or what organization it is?”

“Seth said he’d notify the FBI guys he used to work with, but Laura said no, so we’re just sitting here. Alright, Laura. Now that everyone, including this guy, is here, tell us. You said there was a way to find that bastard, what is it?”

Everyone’s gaze focused on her. Laura glanced around nervously and then spoke.

“We can find out exactly where Mr. Miller is being held right now.”

Silence fell again. But this time, it was for a different reason than before.

“Immediately? What do you mean?”

Mark blinked in bewilderment. Laura paused for a moment, then cautiously replied.

“Actually, Mr. Miller has a chip in his body.”

“What?”

“You mean the kind they put in dogs?”

Seth asked after Mark. Henry interjected sarcastically.

“Putting it in a dog, that suits that bastard perfectly.”

Josh silently glared at him once. But now was not the time to argue over trivialities. He focused his attention as Laura continued.

“VIPs sometimes have chips implanted in their bodies for situations like this. Mr. Miller’s case is similar… Thanks to it, we’ve benefited a lot. Last time too…”

Laura quickly shut her mouth, but everyone immediately understood. Mark then spoke.

“The day Josh fought the coyote, right? You said you found him with something other than the car’s navigation system, was it that chip?”

Unable to hide it any longer, Laura reluctantly nodded.

“But this is a secret to the outside world. Don’t forget what’s in the contract…”

“We never reveal client’s personal information, how many times do I have to tell you we’re not trash like that! Damn it!”

Mark was unusually angry. His client had been kidnapped, and the mention of the behavior he most despised seemed to heighten his stress and emotions. But it didn’t end there. Laura added sternly.

“Not only the chip, but this kidnapping incident must also be kept strictly confidential. Mr. Miller’s ransom is unimaginably high, so if this gets out, we don’t know what they might do.”

Everyone was already aware of this fact. Instead of getting angrier, Mark changed his demeanor.

“So where is that damn system now? We need to go save Miller, how long are we going to stay here?”

“Just a moment, I’ll get it right away.”

As Laura stood up, her assistant also stood up. At Mark’s instruction, Isaac quickly followed them, and silence fell again. The remaining bodyguards remained silent for a while.

A watch.

The more Josh thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. He rubbed his face wildly with both hands, then, unable to bear the frustration, stood up. He went outside the trailer to clear his head a bit, and Seth followed him out. Seeing him put a cigarette in his mouth with a serious expression, Josh held out his hand.

“Give me one too.”

“Didn’t you quit?”

Seth asked, surprised. Josh took the cigarette and replied casually.

“I’ve been smoking again for a while, because of someone.”

“Who?”

“Who do you think?”

When Josh retorted sarcastically, Seth said nothing more.

After finishing one cigarette and smoking nearly half of a new one, Laura returned with others, carrying a black briefcase. Immediately, Josh and Seth threw away their cigarettes and went inside to assess the situation. And in less than 30 minutes, they came out of the trailer.

The newly built building still had a faint smell of fresh paint on the walls. Most of the offices inside were empty, with few people coming and going except when a contractor came to guide about office rentals. And on that floor, only one light was on.

The fairly spacious interior contained only a cheap bed and a makeshift chair. The walls were equally bare, though there was one quite large window, but it was nailed shut to the frame and utterly useless. Even the view outside the window was nothing but distant high-rise buildings and the sky. Even the air purifier on the ceiling was eerily silent.

In the soundless silence, Chase sat on the bed with his hands tied behind his back. He seemed to have spent quite a few hours like this, meaninglessly.

Haah.

He sighed wearily and shifted his body.

“In times like this, you should conserve your energy.”

Recalling Josh’s words, he tried to move his body as little as possible, but even without that, there was nothing much he could do.

The reason his mouth was free was because he had bitten off a piece of flesh from the hand of one of his kidnappers when he tried to gag him. In return, Chase was also hit hard in the face, but after that, they didn’t try to forcibly cover his mouth.

The words of the man who seemed to be the leader were significant.

[Leave him be. There’s no one to hear him anyway.]

As the man said, Chase, who had been dragged into the empty building and sat alone on a shabby bed, recalled in the silence.

What if I get a bruise?

The fact that filming wasn’t over yet was a problem, but the bigger problem was Josh. Remembering Josh’s expression, always looking at him spellbound, it was obvious what his reaction would be.

He might be shocked, Chase thought, unconsciously frowning.

He wouldn’t start to dislike me, would he?

Suddenly, something Josh had said came to mind.

“Who would like you if only your personality was left?”

Chase’s complexion instantly turned pale. Soon, he let out a simmering sigh and curled up.

He wasn’t worried about the current situation. Laura would track the chip and find him, and then everything would be over quickly. His concern lay elsewhere. Chase was afraid of seeing Josh’s reaction.

Should I have just asked?

Late regret washed over him, but the milk was already spilled.

Joshua will be angry.

He wanted to mess up his hair wildly, but his hands were tied behind his back, making it impossible. He knew he had done something foolish. But even in this situation, he felt a subtle thrill that Josh would come to save him.

It was a certainty. Just like that time, Josh wouldn’t care if he got hurt.

I want to hold him and kiss him soon.