Chapter 3
Carlie read an address listed on her cell phone once more. 'I didn't misplace it.'
Jonathan Austin. After searching about him for two days non-stop, Carlie was shocked by one thing. Such a famous man, as Avoni said, did not have much information scattered anywhere. Even on illegal websites, his name was rarely mentioned.
Was she really as strong as Avoni said? Carlie began to doubt him.
But even so, Emma still insisted on telling Carlie to be careful. Even the first time Carlie's subordinates managed to find Jonathan Austin's address, Emma asked him hard not to come over and let Carlie's subordinates sue her directly.
'But of course, i wanted to finish by myself.'
Carlie took off her sunglasses, placed them on the dashboard of her red Bugatti, and stepped out of her favorite car. Three bodyguards trailed behind her. Burly and strong. They look intimidating behind their sunglasses.
Euphoria Bar. A strange name for a cruel man. In a hilly area that Deserted, quite remote, and usually only passed by cargo trucks delivering goods across town, Jonathan Austin had apparently set up a luxury bar and as the intel predicted, he should be here today and Carlie came to confront her.
"Excuse me, Miss. The bar is closed today and cannot be visited,"the words of a man, the barkeeper, stopped Carlie in her tracks. Carlie looked at him from the tail of her eyes, examining him. He was a middle-aged man, looking frail rather than burly. He didn't seem to fit the job of the bar owner who hired him.
"Let me in,"Carlie ordered. "Sorry, miss. We can't-"
Too late. Poor dumb guy. Carlie's bodyguard took him hostage first. Putting a gun to his neck, not letting him move. Carlie grabbed the keys that the man had on his waist and mindlessly walked towards the door.
"My words are not a request, but an order,"Carlie hersed at the middle-aged man who was now screaming in fear, begging not to be taken. Carlie looked at him indifferently. "You wait here and come at a moment's notice. Understood?"
"Yes, Madame,"the three of them said it almost simultaneously. And Carlie, without even looking back, walked into the bar.
Red. That's what she saw when she first stepped inside. My favorite color. A color that is both hot and deadly. Burning, like an inferno. All the lights, the sofas, the bar tables, and even the dancing poles on the stage were all a deep red.
If she were here to have a good time, this place would without a doubt be her favorite bar. But now, the rage inside Carlie has flared up. The anger and resentment were thick. Therefore, there was no way Carlie could feel even a glimmer of attraction.
'No matter who you are, i will not forgive you for taking away my award. Jonathan Austin.'
'I'll make you regret ever dealing with Madame Eloise.'
It's odd to see a bar that isn't surrounded by thumping tunes. Even stranger, there wasn't a single person here that Carlie could see. All the doors to the rooms are open, but they are empty. The dance floor wasn't as alive as usual. The entire bar had no signs of life at all.
Except for one VIP room that was apparently occupied by someone. And Carlie knew right away that that was where she needed to go.
The smell of alcohol was strong in the room. It was unpleasant and disgusting. But even so, Carlie wasted no time going inside, opening the door that was apparently not locked at all.
As if to say, you're invited inside.
And her expectations were never far off. In front of her now sat a man. She was tall and well-built, sitting like a king on his throne, enjoying his leisure time.
His right hand held a glass of vodka, and his left was twisting the darts he was holding. Carlie's arrival managed to catch the man's eye and when their eyes met, Carlie felt a sense of intimidation that she had never felt before.
Her gaze was unbelievably sharp and at the same time, creepy.
His face was far more handsome than Carlie had expected, and his features were far more charming than a mere Internet photo. His charisma screamed power and the images scattered across the Internet were nothing compared to the Jonathan Austin she now saw.
Carlie furrowed her brow and looked at the man closely, with his murderous gaze.
"Jonathan Austin."
The applause erupted, filling the room with a loud roar of sound. The man in front of him looked at Carlie with a'sarcasm' smile printed on his face. His eyes watched Carlie, as if he were watching the fun show he was enjoying.
Carlie bit her lip hard, holding back her anger, which seemed to be tempted. This man's face the first time she met her was enough to make Carlie furious. Carlie knew right away that she really didn't like Jonathan Austin.
"Are you so lonely that the arrival of a woman comforts you more than it should?"Carlie hersed, sharp as a blade. "Stop your clapping. You're not looking at the circus."
The man in front of her, Jonathan Austin, laughed hoarsely. With a laugh that Carlie instantly hated as well. "Welcome, Carlie Eloise Heston. I have been waiting for your arrival."
Carlie frowned. "Madame Eloise for you. Don't just call my name with your filthy mouth."
But apparently, not even Carlie's anger could bully the man. "Madame. The title you put on yourself is a form of respect for someone to call you,"the man said, Hoarse and sinister, like a criminal.
"But if i don't respect you, there's no need for me to call you that, right?"
Carlie growled in distaste. "What an asshole,"she snarled. Carlie had never met anyone who dared to speak to her like this other than her father and her twin and this managed to tighten her anger that was already building.
"I hope you won't regret telling me that, Austin,"Carlie snapped, sharp as a dagger. "But okay, i'll let it slide for now. Because i'm not here to argue that with you."
The man in front of her took a sip of his vodka. Letting it run out, he placed the glass on the nightstand in front of her. "Tiffanny's victory. You came to take back your award?"
Carlie narrowed her eyes. "When i bring a lawyer into your presence, you're finished, Austin."
The man chuckled once more. Dismissive. "I do not fear the government. The law does not bully my blood."
Carlie looked on as the man straightened herself up on the sofa and he deepened his gaze on Carlie, intently. 'His eyes were sinister, like those of a predator that wouldn't lose its prey.'
"I'm more interested in talking about who the person was who leaked to you about me—that you knew the cheating on the show was my doing."
Austin was silent for a moment. "Rodriquez, right? He came to you before and after the event,"he says.
"You've been watching me."
"I knew you'd be after me after here is Heston's fearless daughter and spying on you wasn't nearly as difficult as your high reputation,"Carlie gritted her teeth in exasperation. "I should have just shot that old fart with his family when i last saw him."
Carlie gave the man a sharp look. True to Avoni's word, he was a murderer. Remember that, Carlie?
"But i'm honestly amazed. You found me in just two days. That's impressive, Eloise,"Austin said. Once again, he patted her hand. "But unfortunately, luck is not on your side today."
Carlie's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Carlie followed Austin's gaze as he shifted his gaze to the wall to his left. Perched there was a clock that read 2.59 p.m. counting down the seconds until the hour turned to three.
"Eleven... Ten... Nine..."Austin counted slowly.
Carlie growled. "What do you want!?"
The man, however, placed his finger in front of her lips. As if telling Carlie to close her mouth. "Seven... six... five... four..."
The smile on his face blossomed even more. "Three, two, and one,"Austin chuckled. His smile widened viciously. "It's party time."
Carlie thought the man in front of her was strange—a little out of her mind for a man who counted the hours for no reason. But what she heard, right after Jonathan Austin's words, made Carlie scream as loud as she could.
"AH!"her shriek was thunderous.
Along with the sound of a loud explosion, right from the closed entrance of the bar.
And before she could even move, dispelling the hurricane-force winds of the explosion, a hand grabbed her neck, plunging a knife right into her veins.
Carlie was transfixed in surprise, but the man holding her hostage made the same expression. "You, not Jonathan Austi-"
Dorr!
Once again, Carlie's screech filled the air.
That man. Jonathan Austin. He shot the man who had suddenly taken Carlie hostage, right in the skull. Until his head was pierced by a bullet and blood splattered Carlie's body, the contents of her brain spilled out on the floor.
Jonathan Austin killed him. Without a second thought.
"You were so wrapped up in anger you didn't even realize until someone took you hostage,"Jonathan Austin's approaching words, heard first, than Carlie's still-embedding consciousness, shocked her by the sight she was staring at.
The man's steps stopped in front of Carlie and his smile expanded there.
"You've come at the wrong time, Miss,"he said hoarsely. "This is the place i deliberately arranged with my enemy to fight today."
"And unfortunately. You'll have to get involved in a bloodbath that, i'm sure, You won't like."