Chapter 272: Taken Hostage

Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Taken Hostage

Forcibly awakened by smelling salts, Nina Halloway’s mind was still a complete blank.

She couldn’t understand what Leon Grant was saying.

Suffering?

A kidnapping scene?

"This is all an act?"

The words tumbled out of her mouth.

Leon Grant nodded at her. "I need you to play along. When the police get here, I’ll be arrested."

"So you really are the masked man? You killed Sean Wright, and you kidnapped Jaden?"

At this point, Leon Grant made no attempt to hide anything. "I did it all."

"Why?"

Leon Grant started to laugh. "Because I love you. Sean Wright was a wireman, but he didn’t give a damn about his job. You weren’t the first person to get hurt in a wire-harness accident because of him. He had some connections on set, so he’d just pay a little money afterward to make it go away. That’s what happened with your accident, too—just a payout. He almost crippled you. Was it really so wrong for me to kill him?"

Nina Halloway stared at him in astonishment, unsure how to respond.

"As for that fiancé of yours, he deserved to die most of all. It doesn’t matter if he had feelings for you or not. He was engaged to you, so he should have been responsible for you, but he wasn’t. Being your fiancé is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. He had it, but he didn’t cherish it. He deserved to die more than anyone."

As he spoke, Leon Grant grew more agitated.

The man’s eyes turned red as tears welled up. "If I had been lucky enough to be your fiancé, I would have treated you so well. I would have made you the happiest woman in the world."

But he knew perfectly well that Nina Halloway didn’t love him at all.

"Don’t burden yourself with this. I was the one who wanted to kill Sean Wright and Jaden. It has nothing to do with you."

He caressed Nina Halloway’s face as he spoke. "Also, I looked into Ethan Austin for you. He’s a good guy. No skeletons in his closet. He seems to be genuine with you, too. You should seriously consider him."

"Now, I need you to play along. When the police arrive, I’ll be arrested. I’ll confess to all my crimes afterward."

Listening to Leon Grant’s grave and earnest words, Nina Halloway felt a sting in her nose.

She had always thought of Leon Grant as a complete pervert and suspected he was the masked man, but she had never imagined he held such pure feelings for her.

"The Wright Family is still nearby. They’ll see me holding you hostage, and you’ll become a victim, just like Sean Wright. They’ll have no reason to bother you anymore. If they still pester you relentlessly, you can report them to the police for harassment."

Leon Grant finished speaking, word by word, and stood up. He walked to the closet and picked out a beautiful long dress.

He walked toward Nina Halloway, holding the dress. "Let me help you change into this, okay?"

"Why change dresses?"

"I want to remember you at your most beautiful."

Nina Halloway stared at the dress in his hand. It was a black evening gown with a halter-style, form-fitting cut that left the entire back exposed. Made of pure black silk, it was free of any gaudy designs—a simple and elegant style.

She hesitated for a moment, then told Leon Grant to untie her.

The man leaned down and actually untied the ropes on her hands and feet.

This took her by surprise.

She glanced toward the door, the thought of escape flashing through her mind. But Leon Grant quickly saw through her. "Don’t even think about running. You won’t get away."

Nina Halloway didn’t understand. "Why not just turn yourself in? Why come here and take me hostage? Isn’t this just making things more complicated?"

"Turning myself in would be easy. But after I surrender and get sentenced as a murderer, would you be willing to come see me?"

Nina Halloway didn’t answer, but in her heart, she already knew.

’I wouldn’t visit him, even knowing he did all this for me.’

’Maybe I’m just cold-blooded. I really can’t bring myself to empathize with someone whose hands are stained with blood.’

"Are you going to change yourself, or should I help you?"

Leon Grant’s tone left no room for negotiation.

Nina Halloway had no choice but to take the dress. "I’ll change myself. You turn around."

"No."

If he turned his back on Nina Halloway, she would definitely find a makeshift weapon and attack him.

Although he had never been with Nina Halloway, he had known her for many years. He knew her well.

He pulled a butterfly knife from behind his back and flicked it open skillfully in front of her. "Hurry up and change. Don’t waste time."

The police would be here soon to surround the building.

Steeling herself, Nina Halloway took off her fuzzy dinosaur pajamas under Leon Grant’s gaze. She slipped on the black dress, raised her slender arms, and tied the two straps into a bow behind her neck.

Watching her slender, tall figure, Leon Grant’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

He took a step forward, pressing the knife to the side of her neck with one hand while wrapping the other around her waist, forcefully pulling her into his arms.

Pressed against the man’s chest, Nina Halloway could hear his heart pounding violently.

The knife was close to her carotid artery. She didn’t dare move, forced to let the man’s hand caress the small of her back.

His fingers brushed over the rose tattoo he himself had inked on her, and a scorching heat coursed through him.

"Nina, can you give yourself to me just once?"

Nina Halloway shook her head violently.

"Just once. Can’t you?"

"No."

"And what if I insist?"

Nina Halloway closed her eyes helplessly. "Then just kill me."

SLAP—

A single slap sent her tumbling to the floor. One side of her face swelled up, the change visible to the naked eye.

Leon Grant went to great lengths to make the act convincing. He squatted in front of her, lifted the hem of her dress with his knife, and pierced the fabric. Then, with one large hand, he RRRIP!—tore a long gash in the dress.

Nina Halloway didn’t know what he was planning to do and shrank back.

The man glanced up at her, grabbed a handful of her hair and messed it up, then snatched the rope and tied her hands and feet again.

Seeing the corner of her mouth swollen and tinged with blood, he cupped the back of her neck, forced her face close, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don’t be afraid."

How could Nina Halloway not be afraid?

’No matter how much this man in front of me likes me,’ she thought, ’at the end of the day, he’s still insane.’

Her hands were tied behind her back and her ankles were bound with rope. She was powerless to resist.

She watched as the man stood up, walked to the closet, and came back out holding a pair of her underwear.

He walked over to her, balled up the fabric in his hand, and stuffed it into her mouth, silencing her completely.

After doing all this, he put on the skull mask, grabbed her by the arm to pull her up, then bent down, hooked an arm under her legs, and hoisted her over his shoulder with one hand.

"Mmph—"

’What is he going to do now?!’

She struggled desperately, but Leon Grant’s arm was like an iron band, clamped firmly around her legs.

With her over one shoulder and the butterfly knife in his other hand, he strode out of the room and opened the door.

Ethan Austin was already blocking the way outside.

Leon Grant had locked the door from the inside, so even when Ethan Austin entered the passcode, it wouldn’t open. Before he could figure out a way to break it down, he saw Leon emerge carrying Nina Halloway.

When he saw that Nina Halloway was no longer in her pajamas, that her long dress was torn and barely covering her, and that she was conscious, her slender legs still struggling and kicking, Ethan Austin’s eyes turned bloodshot.

"Let her go."

Leon Grant flicked the butterfly knife in his hand, its sharp blade glinting with a blinding, cold light.

"Back off."