Chapter 589: Countdown - Part 3

"I will leave with him," Maggie said with resolve as soon as Valerie and Preston returned to the surveillance room.

"No way." Ryder was the first one to object, and Valerie and Preston followed suit immediately. Sending Maggie with Jared was the last thing they had in mind, especially when they recalled how hard it had been for her to get away from him.

"Maggie, I will not allow you to go with him. It's dangerous." Ryder held her by her shoulders to make her realize what she was getting herself into. 

But Maggie remained as adamant as ever, not willing to listen to Ryder or anybody else. She already knew what Jared wanted, and only she could save the people from dying due to his cunning schemes. It was either her or the innocent people and she had already made her choice.

"In that case, do you have any other solution for this issue? Anybody else for that matter?" Maggie pushed Ryder away and looked around the room, waiting for someone to answer. But all she got was silence. Even Ian too was silent as he pursed his lips in worry.

Tension filled the air as no one had a reply to Maggie's question, and she nodded her head immediately. 

"See, nobody knows what to do and we do not have time to create a concrete plan. We need to decide fast, and I have made my decision. We need to find the last target as soon as possible before we regret it forever."

"But Maggie I do not want you to go with him." Ryder made her face him again and let out a helpless sigh. His eyes were filled with longing and emotions that completely stunned Maggie, and she did not know what to speak for a few moments. She just kept staring at him, wondering what she had seen in his eyes.

"If only we were not this helpless." Valerie gnashed her teeth from the side and immediately after, Maggie came out of her stupor.

"I do not want to leave either. But...." Maggie did not even get the opportunity when Ryder hugged her all of a sudden, startling her completely. It was utterly unexpected of him to hug her, especially when he was considered to be the least expressive person among her teammates. Never had he shown what his true feelings were, keeping everything about his emotions a mystery.

If it was any other time, both Valerie and Preston might have rejoiced at the scene they were witnessing. But right now, all they could worry about was Maggie and what Jared might do to her.

"Don't worry, Ryder. I will find a way to get away from his clutches somehow." She rubbed his back to comfort him. But in vain. Nothing she said or did consoled him, and he kept hugging her until it became too difficult for her to breathe.

"Ugh, Ryder." She groaned in dismay. "You are suffocating me."

The moment Ryder heard her, he let her go. His eyes were now filled with tears, and Maggie's resolve almost shattered on seeing them. But she hardened her heart and turned to face Valerie and Preston.

"I will have to leave now. I will make time and contact you somehow. Wait for me." 

Something flashed in Maggie's eyes when she stared at Valerie, and for a moment, Valerie blinked at her questioningly. She stared at her for quite a few seconds, trying to read what she conveying to her silently. 

Maggie's eyes held a conviction, a secret which Valerie detected and she now understood that she was here with a plan. All she needed was her cooperation, and Valerie blinked at her in return, giving her the reply she need.

"I will try to save you from that bastard, Maggie. Do not worry."

"We will save you, Maggie. I have already informed Noah. Our men have secured the area and we will follow you secretly." Ian added with a frown. Though he did not like where this was going, he had to agree that this was the best plan they could come up with for the time being.

"Be careful not to be seen. Jared already has his men stationed around the Intelligence. We do not want getting caught and ruin this." Maggie warned and Ian nodded at her solemnly.

"And do not do anything before we find out our last target location. Jared is a lunatic. He might end up killing all those people if we piss him off. I do not want my sacrifice to be a waste." Maggie tried to lighten the mood. But it did not work even a bit and she gave working on it after seeing their grave expressions.

"Relax guys. I will escape from him somehow. Trust me on this, I promise I will come back to you soon." Maggie ran her eyes, lingering on Ryder for a few moments longer than compared to others. 

Every time she saw him, her strong resolve started to melt. So, she looked away from him, unable to see his pleading gaze anymore.

'I might end up giving up on my plan if I stay here anymore. I need to leave from here as soon as possible.'

With that thought, Maggie walked out of the room without speaking another word while Valerie and Preston followed her right away. It took Ryder some time to calm his heart. But he too followed her, ready to protect her at all costs from the man who was out to destroy their lives. 

Ian waited until the group was out of sight before he made a call to Noah, informing him of the situation and how horrible the matters had turned out.

"I have already despatched out men, Ian and they are not the ones Jared or his men has seen before."

"Where are you?" 

"I am almost near the Intelligence office. I will be there in five. I will not allow Maggie to leave with that man. No way." Noah seethed while Ronnie drove as fast as he could to reach the place in time.

"I just hope we can save the day. I do not want more people dying or allow Maggie to leave with Jared. We just have one last target location to find." Ian pressed his forehead as he stared at the computer that showed the cell Jared was staying in.

"We will, Ian. We will." Noah interrupted him, his anger now at its peak. "Jared will not get away this time. I am going to kill him the moment we find his target location. He is done wasting oxygen on earth. It is now time for him to die."