“Get to the point.” Ashton’s patience was wearing thin.
Armond clapped his hands, and immediately, two men and a woman came forward at his signal. The woman had a child in her hand, and she was being held hostage by the men on both of her sides.
Her face became clearer as she came closer. “Aunt Sally…?” I mumbled as I scrutinized the woman’s face under the faint light.
The woman made her way into the light and looked up at me. It was really her—the second and last heir of the Fuller family.
I saw Ashton’s grip tighten around the arm of the chair when he saw Sally, but the expression on his face remained unchanged. “What does she have to do with us? She’s already married to Jim, so she’s one of the Murphys.”
“Ha!” A cold smirk played on Armond’s lips. “Kudos to you for remaining as cool as a cucumber under this situation, Ashton Fuller.”
With that said, Armond darted his gaze at his men and tilted his chin.
The bodyguards nodded and kicked Sally in the joints. She fell to her knees in pain, causing the baby to start crying at the sudden jerk. The guards then took out their guns and pointed right at the frightened woman who dared not move an inch.
My first reaction was to dash over, but Ashton’s hand grabbed me firmly. He sat on the chair unmoved, his mouth set in a grim line. I could not tell what he was thinking at that moment.
I was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof. “What do you think you’re doing, Armond Murphy? They’re your uncle’s wife and child, your family! They’re innocent!”
He must be crazy to do something this outrageous.
“My family? Innocent?” Armond let out a deep chuckle as he turned to question me with a menacing smile that quickly vanished. He soon resumed his cruel and cold face. “I’m innocent too. There are thousands of bloodthirsty evildoers in the world, but your husband purposefully singled me out and wants to hunt me down. I’ll admit that there are unsettled scores between our families, but the truth is that the Murphys are no more than scapegoats of a misunderstanding between your husband and his father. My whole family was torn apart because of that problem. Now, you tell me who’s the innocent one here.”
Armond was sounded self-possessed and concerted as he spoke, but his words surely hit their mark.
When he finally stopped talking, he sat back in the chair, digging his hands into his pocket. In a blink of an eye, a pistol appeared in his hand, locked and loaded.
“Let the game begin,” he smirked, pointing his pistol around carelessly between Ashton and Sally. “Come on out, Mr. Hall.”
As soon as he spoke, a ruffling sound came from somewhere. The sound of footsteps followed. A man’s shadow elongated under the road lamp. It was Nathaniel.
From his calm demeanor, it was apparent that he had been here for a long time. Ashton and I had simply not noticed him.
Now that I thought about it, it made total sense. Given the foolproof security on the island, there was no way Nathaniel would not realize anything. Besides, it was not like he had completely let down his guard toward Ashton. We had been here for a whole afternoon, so we have given Nathaniel ample time to know what we were up to.
But Nathaniel did not seem to be coming towards us. “It seems like I’ve underestimated you. I can’t believe you dare to return to the island on your own. What do you take the Hall family for?”
“Well, well,” Armond replied casually with a smug smile on the corner of his lips, “Nathaniel Hall, I respect you for your caliber. Since you’re a talented young man, I’ll give you one last chance. Apologize now, and I’ll let you go.”
Nathaniel cocked his head and looked down at Armond, his eyes narrowing. “It’s time you change that insolent attitude of yours,” he said, agitated.
Indeed, Armond should be watchful of his words as he was on the Halls’ territory. It would be as easy as breathing for the Hall family to annihilate Armond and his men.
Armond rested his hands on his lap as he leaned back against the chair. He stared into the space blankly as he began talking to himself. “Why do I feel as if I’m getting the same patronizing vibe from the two of you? What a disgusting pair of brothers.” He then turned toward his men and uttered, “Well? What are y’all waiting for?”
