Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



Tarquin shot Evan a quick glance, instinctively understanding the play at hand.

He knew Evan had arranged this, seeing their unwavering loyalty to their "precious charge" as a virtue worth protecting. Yet, had they not been brought to the hospital, it was clear they'd have been silenced for good.

"What about the other group?"

"They're alive and kicking, no rescue squad for them."

Tarquin remained silent, his eyes then shifting towards Keith. Keith was visibly shaken, his breaths short and rapid, his chest heaving with every breath, his entire being seemed engulfed in a blaze of anger!

"Listen up, without my say-so, no one moves a muscle. Stay put!" Keith ended the call and turned to Tarquin, "Those guys have been guarding our precious one for years, their loyalty never wavered. They brought our charge to Jindale City behind my back, all because they couldn't bear to see them upset, yet couldn't defy their wishes either..."

Keith's eyes reddened, he paused, struggling to find the right words.

Tarquin frowned, "It wasn't my people."

"I know! And don't tell our precious one! Also, make sure they get a proper send-off."

With that, Keith glanced upstairs and left without another word. Tarquin didn't stop him...

Evan, anxious, inquired, "A proper send-off for whom? Did something happen to our precious one's bodyguards?"

Tarquin's frown deepened, "They were silenced."

Evan gasped, staring incredulously at Tarquin, "?!"

Elijah, with a furrowed brow, mused, "If Keith trusted them with our precious charge, it means they were his inner circle. Now that they've been taken out on our watch, could the killer be trying to frame us, to widen the rift between Keith and us?"

Elliot's face was a mask of solemnity as he coldly speculated, "Or it could be a warning to Keith! Likely, the attackers were sent by the shadowy figure backing Keith!"novelbin

Evan, eyes reddening with anger, demanded, "Bro, who is this guy?! I want revenge!"

He didn't care whose side they were on; if they were good to their precious charge, they had Evan's gratitude.

Elliot's expression was grave, "If I'm right, he's the elusive figure we've been hunting!"

Evan fumed, "Always him! Bro, who is he? When can we finally bring him to light?"

Elliot countered, "Where's White?"

"He left with Keith, following your orders."

Elliot nodded, "Good! Keep tabs on White's movements, and report back the moment there's anything new!"

Elliot had tasked White with shadowing Keith, knowing that upon Keith's return to Jindale City, a meeting with his mysterious backer was inevitable. Others might spook their quarry, but White's surveillance was sure to go unnoticed.

Tarquin suddenly inquired, "You had White tail Keith?"

"Yes."

Tarquin's expression tensed, and he immediately called Axel, "Get a team ready, we might need to move at any moment!"

Elliot, Evan, Elijah: "???"

After hanging up, Tarquin, with a furrowed brow, stated, "Trying to kidnap the one I care about most and taking out my loyalists as a warning... If it were me, I'd be on the warpath, demanding answers!"

What he implied was clear: Keith's hasty departure was to confront that very man!

And with White on Keith's trail, they were on the verge of pinpointing the mysterious figure's location at last!

After all this time in the shadows, he was about to be exposed!