Chapter 587: Countdown - Part 1

"Who do you think killed Linda, Jared?" Maggie repeated her question, her face devoid of any expression. She neither looked intimidating nor did she appear fierce or furious. She was exceptionally calm. But this calmness alone was enough to send Jared into a state of frenzy.

Although he was already well acquainted with Maggie and her unique traits, one being her composed nature in all situations, he could still not comprehend why he felt her be different this time. Something in her had changed. She had become more courageous, cold and exceptionally beautiful, and Jared could not tear his eyes away from her face even if he wanted to.

Ryder observed the man's gaze but he stood still behind Maggie, glaring at him as he suppressed his fury. Jared's feelings for the girl he liked came as a surprise to him. But soon, he brushed it off when he realized that Maggie would never fall for someone like Jared. To her, he was a criminal who was bound to reach the execution chair sooner or later. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Why do you think I would know about it, Maggie?" Jared's voice was low and in control. But none among the people around him missed the way his voice shook as he spoke to them.

"Let's just say Linda met some of our people and revealed a few secrets." Maggie did not have any intentions of hiding all that had transpired in the hospital. She only made sure to hide Aria and Ian's involvement in this.

Already, Ivy, Valerie and she were under his scrutiny. 'I do not want Aria too to join the list.' She thought to herself as she stared at the man in front of her.

"And do you think that those secrets concern me?" Jared questioned her back, and Maggie immediately understood what he was trying to do here. He was using her questions back at her to find out what Linda had disclosed before she died.

"I presume so. That is what the cameras in the room say. She took your name as well as Charles Miller's." Maggie clasped her fingers as she leaned against the table.

"And you believed her words?" Jared started chuckling all of a sudden. But his reaction did not stun anybody who was watching him. It was as they had expected him to behave. "What if she had taken your name? Would you have believed it? Would you have doubted yourself instead of suspecting me?"

Jared's argument impressed Maggie. 'As expected, he had still not lost his mind after getting caught. He is playing around with me. Now, watch Jared how I will twist your words on yourself."

"So you claim that you do not know Linda. Am I right?" Maggie probed, not answering any of is previous questions.

"I think that was what I answered before and I am not going to change it."

"That's fine by me. You can stick to your words. But would you not like to know the name of the third person she mentioned when she spoke about you and Charles?"

Maggie's lips curved up immediately while Jared's face lost all its color. This time he could not come up with any sarcastic comment even if he wanted to. All he could think about was what Linda had told them and how badly it would affect him.

But soon he came out of his stupor for he realized that there was no use being terrified. The matter had got out of hand, and he get out of the cell to save his life. Even if he was not punished by the law, there was someone out there who might kill him to keep his mouth shut forever.

"And why would I want to know about him?" He questioned back, changing his expressions immediately, and Maggie frowned at him the next instant. Even his eyes had now turned cold and lethal, just like how he was in front of his men and how Maggie had seen him when she had been undercover in his gang.

"Because that man now is now being investigated and soon, he might join you too while you get punished." Maggie tilted her head, wondering what the man was doing now. Something in him had changed suddenly, and he had returned to the monster she knew him to be. All his fears had vanished, and he now seemed to be in control of the situation.

"Oh, then that person is more than welcome to join me. I do not mind having company. But that won't be happening in this lifetime." Jared smiled, and this time, even Ryder and Preston frowned in apprehension.

"You will only be able to punish me if you can produce me to court. But that will not be happening anytime soon for I will be escaping from this place by the end of tonight."

"In your dreams, Jared. In your dreams." Maggie scoffed and Jared startled chuckling at her words. Even though she was putting up a brave front, she realized that her plan to trick him into speaking had failed miserably.

"And dreams do come true, dear. We will see who will be standing tall and proud at the end of the night. You are yet to find the other target locations. Do you think you will be able to find them without asking me about it?"

Maggie narrowed her eyes when she understood that the man had planned exactly how she had deduced and even the two men behind her caught onto his intentions this time. They could not help but gape at Maggie in shock when they realized the reason why she was here.

"What do you want, Jared?" 

"Maggie, don't." Ryder intervened immediately. Even Valerie stood up, ready to stop her friend from making reckless decisions. But Ian held her hand, stopping her from taking another step any further.

"Hear him out first." He stated with his brows scrunched up. He too was tensed after the way the events had turned out. Just like the others, he too wanted to stop Jared from executing his plan. But they had to find out what he exactly wanted before they started with their plans.

"You know what I want, darling. I want to leave this place, with you of course and nobody...." Jared stared at the two men behind her before he looked at the camera in the room. "I repeat nobody is to follow me. Only when I reach a safe place, away from everyone's reach, I will reveal the last target location."

"Do you think we will trust you on this? What if this is all a ploy and you do not keep your end of the promise?" Ryder seethed. He clenched his fists in anger when he saw how Jared had broken through Maggie's attempts to force him into submission. He had outwitted her this time, defeating her in her own game brilliantly.

"It is your choice, Maggie. You can choose to trust me or not trust me. It is up to you. But darling," He smiled softly when he glanced at the watch on her right hand. "You have less than forty minutes to decide what you want to do. Don't blame me if you see a massacre after the timer drops to zero." 

Jared tapped on his hand as his grin widened. "So, think well and think wise. You do not want people dying, do you?"