Chapter 439

After Michael got Isabella out of the crossfire, they ended up at this old, rundown factory.

Isabella felt a weird sense of déjà vu. She suddenly remembered Jasper and Mia had a shootout here after they busted out of the detention center.

"Hey babe, you okay?" Isabella asked, her voice full of worry. Michael had been her shield the whole time.

Michael just shook his head. "I'm good, babe. Let's get out of the car. We're almost out of gas, so we gotta lay low here and wait for backup."

Michael was cool as a cucumber. The factory was huge, and if they played it smart, they could stay hidden for a while. Even if Paxton was a big shot, he couldn't just bomb the place.

As long as Paxton didn't bring in the heavy artillery, Michael was confident they could hide out until Mike or Jerry showed up.

Isabella got out and was about to head inside when she noticed Michael fiddling with something in the car.

"What are you doing, babe?" Isabella asked, puzzled. She didn't get why he wasn't coming in.

"Just hang on, babe. Almost done," Michael called back.

Isabella was starting to get anxious when Michael finally got out and shut the door carefully.

"Alright, let's go inside," Michael said, pulling her into the factory.

Once inside, Isabella couldn't help but ask, "What were you doing in the car?"

Michael just shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. Just rigged a little surprise with a rope and a grenade. You know, like in the movies when the bad guys open the door and boom."

Isabella's eyes went wide. "You can make bombs? What did you do before?"

Michael shrugged again. "Used to be a mercenary in Evernia for a couple of years. Picked up a few tricks from some warlords."

Isabella had never heard this side of Michael before.

"Wow, you've had quite the life," Isabella said with a grin. She was dying to know more, but they had this unspoken rule about respecting each other's pasts.

Suddenly, Michael grabbed her and put a finger to his lips. "A car's coming," he whispered.

A car pulled up outside, and four guys jumped out, moving cautiously towards Michael's car. The windows were tinted, so they couldn't see inside.

One of them, gun in hand, crept up to the door, grabbed the handle, and yanked it open.

The sound of a grenade pin being pulled echoed inside the car.

"It's a grenade! Get down!" someone yelled, trying to make a run for it.

But the guy closest to the car door didn't stand a chance. The grenade went off, taking him out instantly. The other three got knocked around a bit but weren't seriously hurt.

"That was dirty! When I get my hands on those two, I'm gonna shove a gun in their mouths and blow their brains out," one of the thugs yelled, fuming.

"First, we gotta catch them. They must've gone into the factory. Let's move, but watch out. They might have more grenades," another thug said, cautiously leading the way inside.

Michael and Isabella heard the explosion from inside the factory.

"There's more than one of them. The grenade didn't get them all. We need to stay quiet and not make a sound," Michael whispered.

Isabella nodded but then looked puzzled. "Babe, something's not adding up. Pearl's got a big personality and probably ticked off a lot of people. Why would Paxton go to such extremes just for me?"

Michael's face had that look like he knew something but wasn't saying.

"Maybe because you're the one Pearl hates the most," Michael said with a smirk, avoiding her eyes.

Isabella's eyes narrowed. "Babe, do you know something? Don't lie to me. We're married. I can tell when you're lying, and you should feel guilty about it."

Michael bit his lip, looking like he was making a tough decision. "I'm sorry, babe. I lied about something when we were in Avalonia."

"What did you lie about? Did you have a thing for Scarlett in Avalonia?" Isabella's face went pale, feeling a wave of dizziness.

Michael rolled his eyes. "What? No! I've never lied to you about love. And what does Scarlett have to do with Paxton?"

"Then what are you talking about?" Isabella asked, confused. She thought back to their last trip to Avalonia to see Michael's dad, Kenna.

Suddenly, she remembered a call from Amelia in Avalonia about Pearl's situation.

Isabella looked at Michael, shocked. "You told me it was probably someone from the Four Families who kidnapped Pearl to start a war between Paxton and Mason. If you lied about that, does it mean you had Pearl kidnapped?"

Michael nodded slowly. "Yeah, Pearl's mess is my doing. I wanted her to pay, so I hired a psycho killer in Avalonia to deal with her."