Chapter 50 The Bait
“What do you want to know?” Shanelle asked bluntly.
Finished
Wendy took a sip of her lemon water, gazing out the window at the worried families pacing back and forth outside the ER.
She suddenly remembered the day Chase was trapped at home–the panic, the helplessness, the silent prayers she whispered outside the OR door as he was wheeled in.
That whole nightmare had a root cause.
And it probably wasn’t this woman sitting across from her.
Shanelle wasn’t that ruthless.
If she were, Henry never would’ve had the life he had now,
“I just want to make sure you’re safe,” Wendy said.
Shanelle raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “You want to protect me? Spare me. Weren’t you Henry’s first love? He’s been hung up on you for years. Even having a kid didn’t change that. Now you two are finally back together–what does any of this have to do with me?”
Another Chase, Wendy thought. Another poor soul kept in the dark.
“You’re not safe around Henry. Right now, he’s cooperating because you’re holding evidence over his head. But once he gains full footing with the Harrison family, that evidence will be your death sentence. Shanelle, I’m telling you–work with me.
Waylon invited Chase out for dinner. Lemon had just returned, so she joined too.
Since Wendy wasn’t going to be home that night, Chase agreed.
“Chase!” Lemon gave him a quick hug. “Long time no see! You’re looking better than before. My brother said you were totally falling apart.”
Waylon smacked her on the head. Lemon let out a dramatic “Ow!” and scurried to sit down.
They were eating Western cuisine, Waylon’s favorite. Chase wasn’t picky.
“What’s with you tonight?” Waylon asked, sizing him up. “You look like something’s weighing on you.”
Chase hesitated for a second before saying, “Joy was brought into the ER today. The person who brought her… was Shanelle.”
Waulon straightened in his cast. “You mean
Henry’s ev–wife?”
9:43 PM &
The Batt
Chapter 50 The Bait
“Probably, I’ve never met her. But she looked mixed. I saw the signature on the surgical form–it
said Shanelle.”
Waylon’s eyes narrowed. His tone darkened. “So she really is back. I’ve been trying to track her down. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I didn’t know she was someone you were after,” Chase replied, helpless. “But Wendy saw her. Said she wouldn’t be home tonight. You and Wendy on the same side or something?”
“You could say that.” Waylon said, sipping tea. He had to work late and wasn’t drinking.
“Someone’s targeting Quinn Group,” Waylon continued. “And the mastermind behind it all happens to be the same person I’ve been hunting for years. So yeah, shared goal.”
That explained it.
Wendy had poured everything into Quinn Group. Even the shareholders couldn’t take her down. And yet, someone was still trying to come after her.
“You’re too late,” Chase said, almost smug. “Wendy’s already got her. You probably won’t find her.
now.”
Waylon gave him a look. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m neutral.”
Lemon quickly jumped in. “Chase, I heard you and Wendy have been fighting ever since Henry came back. Even got divorced? That’s crazy. Henry won’t last. The Harrison family’s on our radar
too.”
Neither sibling wanted to say too much–but they wanted to reassure him.
Chase smiled. “Relax. I’m not that fragile anymore. Yeah, the marriage is over. But I haven’t left because I’m not done yet. I’m not about to let someone I love get taken from me that easily.”
“You really got divorced?” Lemon was shocked.
Chase nodded. “Yeah. Divorced, but not separated. It’s.. complicated.”
No one knew exactly when Shanelle slipped out. By the time Henry got to the hospital, only Wendy was there.
He went straight to Joy’s bedside, looking at his sleeping daughter with growing panic.
“What happened? I thought.. I thought my friend picked Joy up. How’d she end up in a car accident?”
He glanced sideways at Wendy, testing the waters. “Did you see my friend?”
Chapter 50. The Bait
Farished
“No. I only got here in time to sign the forms. The nurses were freaking out. Said someone dropped the kid off and ran. They thought it was the person who hit her. Now that you’re here, I figured I’d ask if we should call the police.”
“No” Henry immediately objected, clearly rattled. He reached out to stop her. “It was my friend, yeah, but I had something at work and asked her to look after joy. The accident wasn’t her fault. No need to call the cops”
A few moments later, when Wendy still looked worried, Henry asked again. “You’re sure you didn’t see her?”
“No. Why?”
“Nothing. Just making sure.”
Still uneasy, Henry later slipped away to “check with the doctor and cornered a few nurses in the hallway to ask questions.
But Wendy had already prepared them.
All of them said the same thing: they never saw anyone, and Wendy was the one who signed the
forms.
Even the surgical documents had been replaced with a new one.
Sure enough, the signature was Wendy’s
