Bedmates Soulmates
CHAPTER 297

Jesse stared at him, open-mouthed. Then why'd you call me?".

The doctor was burning with curiosity,

He could see the injuries were munde by someone's lists.

But who would dare beat up Austyn McCarthy?

Did the perpetrator have a death wish?

Austyn removed another ciprette from the pack on Jesse's desk.

Jesse wanted to protest, Int shut his mouth when he saw the dark look on his Iriend's face.

Austyn's phone rac

He Ignored it.

Jesse glimpsed Damian's name on the screen and decided to answer it. "Hey, Damian, Jesse here!

'Where's Austyn?!

In any office.

'Stay with him. I'm coming right up

Jesse put a hand over the phone and whispered, "What's going on? He looks like he's been in a cage fight."

"It's a long story. I'll explain later. Just stay with him."

Ten minutes later, the door to the doctor's office was pushed open.

Jesse's eyes widened. 'Luca, what are you doing here?

The police captain drew him aside. 'Damian needs to talk to Austyn. Let's step outside,"

Jesse followed Luca, confused.

Everyone was acting so weird tonight.

Damian was still in his tactical gear, minus the gun.

"Sean Santoro escaped.'

Luca and his officers were occupied with paarding the mercenaries, the ones that were still alive and in cuffs.

Damian's team rushed into the warehouse as soon as they heard the gunshots.

But all Damian saw was Kira holding Gideon in her amis and Austyn standing nearby.

Sean was gone.

Austyn muttered a curse. 'Slippery bastard."

Back then, he'd been so focused on Kira that he hadn't noticed Sean slinking off.

"The detonator..." He recalled Sean's threat.

Damian scoffed. 'The bombs are fale, movie props. You press the button, all you get is a loud bang and a big flash, but no explosion. I think he planned to use it to create a diversion so he can take off without anyone seeing him." Santoro In The Wind

Would he have put the gun to his head if he knew the bombs were fake?

He didn't know.

"Luca's got the arrest warrant, Damian continued, 'Seeing as how the meres are foreigners, my team will join in the hunt as well. I've asked Mike to put out some feelers. Santoro can't hide from us forever.!

He Has Been So, So Stupid

He frowned when he saw Austyn's face. 'You should let Jesse take a look at that'

Austyn waved a hand dismissively. 'I'm fine.'

He looked at Damian. Towe you a big thank-you tonight. You and your team."

'Don't worry about it. My team was created to protect civilians. You're a civilian now, so-Damian shrugged-just doing our job."

He added, "We've arrested all the mercenaries Santoro hired-well, the ones that were still alive. They entered the country without permission and carried weapons without a permit. Two of them are on Interpol's Red Notice. I actually have to thank you for handing the case to me. I might just get another medal out of this."

"Good to know."

The news brought a tiny smile to Austyn's face.

'About Gideon Garner...

The smile vanished.

"Luca's men cordoned off the warehouse district before you went in. My men were inside, picking off the mercs one by one. We had the whole aree covered. I talked to Luca on the way here. He had no idea how Garner sneaked into the warehouse. Neither do L' He added, 'But I guess it's a good thing that he did. Without him, the bullet would have hit Kira right in the head' Austyn passed, then he took a deep drag on the cigarette.

His face was haloed in a bloemist.

Damian sighed. 'One more thing I knew about Kira and the Garner man."

Austyn's head snapped up. "What?"

He stared at Damian, astonished.

'When you and Kira stayed at my house, I confronted her about it. She admitted she knew Gideon but asked me not to tell you."

Secing the incredulous look on Austyn's face, Tinian explained, 'I don't think she meant to hide it from you. Maybe she just didn't know how to bring it up"

Austyn's brows were furrowed deeply.

He forgot about his cigarette.

them?

When he spoke after a long while of silence, his voice was hoarse, 'What do you know about th

Damian cast his mind back to a few weeks ago. I've always thought Kira looked familiar ever since I met her. I got the feeling that I'd seen her somewhere before. You know I never forget a face. It took me a while, but eventually, I remembered. I was on a mission in Ourlana three years ago and was put in touch with the Garner family there. I saw a photo of Kira in Gideon's wallet' Damian continued, 'She looked younger back then, in her late teens, maybe. She was all grown up when I met her in Stamford, so I didn't make the connection Immediately,

The cigarette had burned to its end.

Ashes fell onto the floor and onto Austyn's shoes

He didn't notice.

All he could think about was Gideon Garner.

When he ran into Gideon in Farindon, the man had talked about finding his lost treasure with such a passion that Austyn had been a little touched.

He even offered to help Gideon with his search.

How stupid he had been.

Then there was the time Kira fell asleep and he carried her upstairs.

She clung to him, refused to let go, and whispered the name 'Gideon' over and over again.

"Austyn had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he dismissed it back then.

The Gideon he knew came from Ourhlana, a city way up north

Kira's hometown was in the southwest, almost three thousand kilometres away.

What were the odds that th

the two of them knew each other?

Thinking back, Austyn realised how idiotic he had been.

There were so many clues, but something in his heart told him to turn a blind eye to them

When he ran into Gideon again at the Grand Copthorne, he'd wanted to ask Gideon for the name of his 'treasure, but Kira was missing and he was preoccupied. In the warehouse, Gideon took a bullet for Kira.