Valerie gave Ian a surprised look before she answered the call immediately. And just as Ian had predicted, it was a call from Jared.
"Tch, tch, tch, Deputy." He clicked his tongue while Valerie switched on the loudspeaker for everyone around her to listen to him.
"Tell her the target location right now." They heard Maggie yell at him, and hearing her voice, everyone let out a breath of relief. Even though it had been barely a few minutes since they saw Maggie, they were awfully worried about her, especially Ryder. He was on tetter hooks since the time Maggie had refused to stay behind. Now that he heard her voice, he was relieved, albeit not completely.
"What's the rush, darling?" Jared chided her gently and Ryder clenched his fist, fury bursting through him as soon as he heard him. "I have already told you that until I reach a safe place, I will not speak a word about my target location."
'In that case, why did he call us?' Valerie wondered and looked at Ian, who was holding onto the steering wheel tightly until veins popped up on his arms and biceps.
"Jared," Maggie warned him. But all they heard in return was his chuckle which sounded terribly evil. It was as though he had called them with other intentions.
"All I want to know is who helped Maggie escape from the warehouse, from me. If you reveal the truth, I will reveal my target locations immediately."
Even though they could not see him, Valerie and her team were sure that the monster was smiling triumphantly as he spoke to them. They were in shock to find that he had already deduced it was not they who had helped Maggie escape.
"Did you think I would not know the truth, Maggie?" Jared continued speaking. "You have not visited the Intelligence since the time you escaped from me and have been hiding from everyone's eyes. And it is interesting to learn that you have only stepped inside the building today. But do you know what the surprising fact is?"
Jared's words made everyone apprehensive and they started to have an ominous feeling about it. It was as though he knew a secret about them and they were about to get busted.
"Why did my men find the famous and dignified Doctor Ian Davis beside you when you entered the Intelligence? Why was he even here today?"
As soon as he heard Jared, Ian almost steered the car towards another lane in shock. If not for the man behind him honking at the right time, he was certain that they would have ended in an accident. He pulled over at the side immediately, unable to drive anymore in his state of mind.
Valerie's face paled, and even Ryder and Preston were beyond scared. They just stared at the phone in horror, silence engulfing them. Right at this moment, the man in the car behind them honked and grumbled something at them.
"Are you following me, Deputy?" Jared's voice was extremely low and filled with anger which nobody missed. "Didn't I warn you not to follow me?"
"I am not following you," Valerie stated, and it was the truth. They were still far away to follow him. All they could do was follow the route Noah had taken through the GPS and right now, he too was getting further away from them.
"Are you sure, Deputy? You do know the consequences of lying to me. Right?"
Valerie narrowed her eyes at his threat and she looked at Ian immediately. "I am not following you. I am still searching for you."
"Is it?" Jared immediately looked behind him and smiled widely in satisfaction.
"You must be saying the truth. I do not see any car behind me."
Ryder frowned immediately and he gave Ian a questioning look only to find him staring at Valerie. He chose to remain silent and question him about it once they finished the call.
"Now, let's get back to my initial question. Shall we?"
Valerie pursed his lips, not knowing how to answer him. They could reveal how Maggie knew about Ian or else, he would find out about Noah's involvement in this matter. And this would only make things complicated to her as well as her dear friend.
Not knowing what to say she raised her brows at Ian and the man immediately mouthed her the answer. For a moment, Valerie was stunned at what he had told her to say. But the next instant, she did just as she was told.
"Ian is my boyfriend and he had come to the Intelligence to meet me."
Silence ensued inside the car again and Valerie was unsure if Jared believed her. Since she had chosen this path, she stuck to it irrespective of the outcomes.
"And it was a coincidence that Maggie and Ian arrived at the same time." She continued, waiting for Jared to speak something, anything.
"I am not sure if I should believe you on this, Deputy."
"Cut the crap, Jared. Tell us what your target location is." Valerie's tone changed all of a sudden. She realized that this was leading to nowhere and all Jared was doing was delaying their time.
"Although I am unwilling to believe you, Deputy, I will give you the benefit of doubt. But I am yet to find out who saved Maggie. If you answer me I will disclose the location right away."
"Jared," Maggie warned from beside, her fury now at peak. But she could do nothing. He held control here, and one small mistake could lead to the death of a lot of lives.
"It was us who saved her." Valerie lied without any change in her tone. Even Ian was surprised to hear her convincing lie.
"In that case, why did my men find choppers and grenades. How did you have access to them?"
"Let's just say I know people not only from the Intelligence."
"Ohh, so you do know someone from the military too. Mind telling me who it is. Since they were able to use choppers to help you, I assume them to be holding important ranks."
Valerie realized that Jared was trapping her in her own lie. But she knew how to get out of the predicament she was in.
"Are you sure you want to know who it is Jared? You do know that if I know about your involvement in the war that happened weeks ago, they must already know about it too." She threatened him. "Either you tell us the location or wait for all your warehouses to blow up."
Valerie was done tolerating Jared's cruel antics and she warned him blatantly, not giving him a way out this time.
"Do you really think that you could get away after threatening me, Deputy?" Jared too did not back off.
"I don't think I would. But you are in no situation to harm me. After today, you are now a fugitive on the run, and I will issue an order to kill you on sight. So, choose well, Jared."
"Patience, Deputy. Patience. I will tell you the location. But only after I reach my safe place and if I am in the mood. Until then, see ya." Jared was just about to end the call when he stopped suddenly. "Also, Deputy. You have successfully managed to annoy me today and I do not know what I will do as revenge."