Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 105

Chase

Alice f*****g Jacobson. I knew her face was nothing but a bad omen.

Once Alice and her buddy left, Sofia stormed inside the house without giving me another glance. This Too f*****g late for that now.

Stanly was dead. And what's up with my picture on his phone? I need to speak with Eros, but I need to That annoying detective. I will have to deal with her.

When will I ever have a breather?

I just wanted a weekend with my family.

"Sofia," I rushed after her, catching her just about to climb the stairs. I gripped her wrist, it gutted me again, but I've done that to protect her. It's not enough to justify my lies, but fuck. I hated the look on that something had happened with Carlota, the very reason she hated even hearing Carlota's name. I shivered under her icy glare. Those familiar blue eyes lost their warmth. Her pain and hurt left me to My hold on her wrist slackened, and she dashed up the stairs, leaving me cursing myself for thinking Each step she took was a sucker punch to my face. It's like she was running for her life. When she read Fuck! I stabbed my fingers through my hair, wanting to pull each lock from the roots. This had gone out of hand.

I pulled out my phone and informed Jose I would be out for a bit. I needed him inside the mansion wh 'I'll stay in the parlor,' Jose replied. That was good enough for me. And despite Sofia's adamant refusal Jose will have a backup.

hat I'd been avoiding. Carlota had been a f*****g sore topic for her, and she blatantly voiced her disapproval of me asking for Eros' help. ngs with Sofia first. In every scenario I thought of Sofia finding about Eros and Carlota, Alice breaking the news like this didn't cross my mind.

he flinched as though my touch burned her. "You promise to let me explain." At this point, I had no right to demand anything from her. I lied to her again and e when she turned and met my gaze. It gutted me. It had brought me back to the day when she found Carlota in my cabin back in Rio. I made her believe

ied.

keep this from her.

e second-floor landing, she swiped her hands on her cheeks harshly.

as gone.

ditional security guards, I still hired two of Joe's men. They're not far from the mansion, watching for anything out of the ordinary. If push comes to shove,

This morning, I asked Carlota to meet me in town. I avoided going over the docks since Alice had it ho forme. One of Joe's men informed me that I was being watched by Alice's men. I wonder if that's even official. She had no reason to keep eyes on me, but then again. I f****d her over in the past. The woman holds a grudge like a dog with a bone.

From how Alice threw her question earlier, she didn't know who Carlota was. Somehow, I'm grateful that she thinks I'm a cheating bastard. If she figured out Carlota's connection to Eros, she will dig deeper and do more damage than this reap between Sofia and me. I headed to Rafa's place. He opened the door with a frown, stepping aside when he saw the look on my face. The delicious aroma of basil and sweet pasta sauce enveloped me once I stepped inside. "What's up?" Rafa asked, following me as I climbed the stairs.

I headed to his guest room on the second floor. Darkness spread inside when Rafa closed the door behind him. I stood beside the window, lifting the thick curtain slightly, peeking at the street. And I was right. A Honda Civic has parked two houses down from Rafa's. I'm being followed."

"Alice's men?" Rafa said as we left the guest room and went to the kitchen. A half-eaten plate of tomato basil pasta and a glass of wine was on the island.

"Yeah. They're a little sloppy."

He hummed. "Want a plate?" tending back to the food he abandoned.

At my head, I took a beer bottle from his fridge and an ant across from Hiny on the island. The interior of his lace on an aesthetic of black, dark brown, and gray was a statement that a bachelor owned it. Though bed alone, his place was clean and organized. He eats home cooked meals, careful with his diet. For a time, scho gained about Georgia's miscarriage; he stayed out partying every weekend, drinking himself to be glad he was back to his usual self. I was unsure if he'd be here, though I knew the code to his Sony to barge in on your me time."

Santa shaped me to have someone to talk to while having dinner," he cajoled, and I snickered be having dinner with Georgia

"I voted her out, but she declined. Didn't want to push my luck." I told him that Georgia finally opened up to Sofa and Jessica about the miscarriage. We would never understand what women go through when to lose a baby bke that. But this was the first step to Georgia's healing. "That's probably for the best," I commented.

So what brought you here? Thought you'd be spending the weekend with your family?" I planned to take Sofa and Elise to the dog shelter tomorrow. Derek gave me the contact with his military buddy who runs a dog training facility.

Elise had been bugging me about buying a dog, and I saw this as an opportunity to add security to her. We'll be getting one that was trained to protect his owner.

1belched out a heavy breath. What happened with Stanly is disturbing. I'm still yet to know how he died, but this reap between Sofia was on top of my priority. "This is a messed up man," I sighed. "Sofia knew I met Carlota."

"Alice was waiting for us when we got home. Stanly's dead. She asked me if I knew him because they found. pictures of me on his phone."

"What?" Rafa frowned. I haven't updated him on Eros' plan for Stanly, which Carlota and I discussed this morning.

Rafa raised an eyebrow. "Stanly? The viper prospect?"

I nodded, taking a long pull of my beer. "Carlota said they'd put him in a safe house. I can't even call her. My phone might be compromised."

"1 have a burner phone here." Rafa stood, opened one of the kitchen drawers, and tossed me a phone.

I quickly dialed Santino's number. He answered on the first ring. "Rodeo Country Club."

"I want to speak with the manager," Rafa's eyebrows shot up. I shrugged, waiting for a reply.

"Who the fuck is this?" Eros grumbled.

"It's Chase. I'm being followed, and my phone is probably being traced."

"It's Alice Jacobson, isn't it?"

"Yeah. She asked me if I knew Stanly."

He hissed, cursing under his breath. "Told you we should put that detective in her place." I didn't even have to explain more. He had expected Alice to dip her nose in this case one way or another. "Yeah. What the fuck happened, man?"

"The safe house had been compromised. The vipers extracted Stanly this morning. My men killed five of them."

Fuck! Rafa stood and started washing his plates. "They're probably searching who's helping Stanly." "They can come to me." Apart from helping me, this had become personal for Eros after knowing what they did to Rocco. If there was one thing he loved in this world, it was his sister, no matter how stubborn Carlota was. Til happily organize a welcoming party for that fucker.

"I'll give you a hand," I pressed, my insides shivering at the thought of ending this once and for all.

Eros laughed icily. "We'll get there. Where are you, anyway?"

I'm at Rafa's. Sofia knew i met with Carlota."

"You told her?"

Bastard

"The fuck would I do that?" I groaned, sipping my beer. "Alice asked me where I was this morning. I

had to tell the truth."

Eros chuckled. "That's payback for f*****g her over, huh?"

"Sofia's mad at me. I need to make it up to her, but I need to know what the fuck is happening. This is not what we planned."

"It's not, but we're dealing with it. Stanly gave us good info on Kenzo. Too bad the poor kid didn't survive." There was a solemn pinch in his tone. Eros didn't use his usual tactics for breaking Stanly. He promised him protection from Kenzo if he helped us. They already had everything set. Stanly will travel to Vegas, lay low for a week while waiting for his documents and a new identity. Eros was supposed to ship him to Rio, where he'd have a chance to start a new life.

"Not your fault, man. They killed the guy who killed Rocco. They'll get to Stanly. It's like they're only waiting for him to surface."

"He believed I could protect him. That's why he gave us that crucial info on Kenzo."

"I want in when you meet that fucker," I pressed.

Eros sighed. "Let me handle this, Chase. You have a family to take care of. Think about them. If you

get tangled in this mess, Alice will have more reason to f**k you over."

I shook my head even though he couldn't see me. "That's also the reason I have to be there. I want to know why the fuck he's targeting me."

"You really are a sacana teimoso," I could hear the annoyance in his tone. "Let's talk about that when Carlota comes back. And try to get back to your daily routine. Whoever this is good. We cannot give them the satisfaction that you're falling into their trap." [stubborn bastard] "will. Did you find something on the explosion at Stanly's place?"

"We did. I'll send you the details," he instructed Santino to send it to my secured email. "I'll keep in touch." "Thanks, man."

"No worries. We'll still have those strippers at your bachelor party." He chuckled heartily.

"Fuck you," I groaned. Ending the call.

Rafa already had his laptop on the island. I took it and opened my email. It was a copy of the police report on the explosion. Three bodies were found inside. Stanly's grandparents and his sister. My blood simmered at how heartless Kenzo had been. They were innocent bystanders in this game he was playing.

Eros also attached CCTV footage in the email. The camera was at a forty-five degrees angle from Stanly's run-down house. I was surprised his neighbor even had CCTV installed. A guy in his late twenties walked up the threshold. He looked side to side, clutching a duffle bag. He had a baseball cap on, but the camera angle caught his face. He attached two black boxes on the porch, one on each side, then left on his motorcycle.

Next to the CCTV footage was the identity of the guy.

Vincent Apostol. The name doesn't even ring a bell. Maybe he's a Viper prospect as well.

"Vincent Apostol," Rafa murmured, standing beside me with a frown on his forehead. "You recognize the name?" I asked.

He pondered before recognition flickered in his brown eyes. He took the laptop and opened another email. It was from Joe, a list of guests from Elisa's on the day of the fire. And there, Vincent Apostol, with his ID and address, was one of them.

"His name caught my attention because he was from Pinehills. I didn't think anything was suspicious about it, but now that he was responsible for blowing up Stanly's place, my best guess is that he also burned down Elisa."

I hissed, standing up harshly, the wooden barstool I was sitting on scraped the floor. "We need to see that fucker."

Rafa frowned at me, watching me pace in his kitchen, anger surging through my veins. "That's not a good idea, Chase. Someone's following you."

Rafa had a point, but I could not sit here and wait for the information to drop on my lap from thin air.

I had to do something.

Til speak with Vincent."

I shook my head. "That's too dangerous."

Rafa sneered. "And you want to go? What am I, a five-year-old? I've dealt with more than this in the past, Chase. I can handle myself. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. Besides, what other options do we have? You're tied, and I know you'd rather spend the night groveling for Sofia's forgiveness than facing Vincent."

That's true. I left to cool down, but I had no plans to let tonight pass without making amends with Sofia. "Take Joe's guy with you," I sighed, caving in. I know I cannot solve this problem all on my own

He smirked, patting my shoulder. "I know you care for me, Chase," he said, guiding me towards the entry. "But I already gave my heart to Georgia."

I shoved him aside, chuckling. "Fuck you, Rafa." He roared, the sound filling his apartment. "Just be careful, man, alright? Don't engage unless needed. I don't want Georgia to chop off my balls if you get hurt."