Chapter 196 Before It Was
Too Late
“You can’t find her? Why? Why the hell not? It’s because you’re incompetent, that’s why!” William’s voice thundered through the phone.
On the other end, Ryder exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose.
If anyone else had dared to yell at him like this, they’d be finished.
But since this was about Renee, he let it slide.
“There’s only one reason we can’t track her through GPS,” Ryder began.
William gritted his teeth, waiting.
“The tracking device is busted. Normally, a hit wouldn’t take it out. Unless…”
Unless the impact had been too severe. If that was the case, her chances didn’t look good.
“Have you checked that island we talked about?” William asked.
“I did. It’s practically abandoned–doesn’t even have a proper name.”
“Can you pinpoint it?” William asked again, sharper this time.
Ryder frowned. He hadn’t tried that yet. Pulling up the data, he checked- and his expression darkened.
“Something’s off about that place. It’s like all signals are blocked. We can’t get a lock on it.”
“So…”
“I’ll have them move faster right now!” Ryder said without missing a beat.
William didn’t need further proof–Renee was alive. He could feel it.
Denton approached, phone in hand, hesitation clear on his face.
William caught the look and didn’t wait for him to speak up. “If this is about my father, save it. Or better yet, tell him I’m not coming back.”
Denton faltered.
He let out an awkward chuckle, and then finally gathered the nerve to speak. “Mr. Mitchell said…”
William shot him a cold, unreadable glance.
His eyes alone said, “You’ve got some nerve to keep talking!”
Denton gave a helpless shrug. “I don’t have a choice. Mr. Mitchell said if I don’t…”
Silence.
“Anyways, the wedding isn’t canceled. He said you had to go back.”
“Like hell I will.” William let out a sharp, humorless laugh.
“Look! Over there! Is that it?” Marvin shouted, rushing toward William.
William followed his pointing finger and spotted a small hill in the distance. That had to be the island.
“Speed up! Head that way!”
Two hours later, the cruise ship docked, and the guests disembarked. Despite just surviving a hijacking, they strolled off as if they were on a casual getaway.
“Keep everyone together. If anyone wanders off, it’s on them,” Shaun ordered, his tone sharp. He kept the security team on high alert, knowing he couldn’t afford any mistakes.
“Yes, Mr. Doyle.”
William and Denton wasted no time searching for Renee. The island wasn’t large, but it was overgrown with wild grass and had no proper paths.
They combed the coastline, scanning every inch for any sign of her.
Denton’s eyes locked onto something in the distance, and his breath hitched. “Over there! William, look!”
The two hurried forward.
Denton crouched near a patch of scorched earth, his voice brimming with excitement. “This fire was put out recently. They must be close!”
William, exhausted from hours of worry, finally allowed himself a small smile.
“Let’s move.”
They split up, following a set of fresh footprints. William no longer had any doubts–Renee was here.
He spotted her at last, curled up inside a small cave.
A sharp breath caught in his throat as his eyes burned with tears.
It was really her.
This time, he had found her before it was too late.
