Lock You In My Heart

Chapter 453

Gabrielle heaved a sigh of relief. Lance did as well.

Lance asked the driver to pull over under a lush tree. He turned the lights off and told the driver to contact the car behind.

Lance handed Gabrielle a bottle of water. “Are you frightened? Drink some water and take a few deep breaths. We’ll leave when the people behind us get here.”

“Thank you. I’m fine,” Gabrielle assured. She drank every last drop of the water Lance gave her. It helped calm her down.

Never in her life had she experienced such danger. Adrenaline rushed into her veins. Gabrielle was rendered speechless.

“I’m sorry, Gabrielle. It’s all my fault. I didn’t mean for you to get into this situation. You didn’t have to suffer through this,” Lance apologized. He was worried about her.

He felt guilty for frightening Gabrielle.

“It’s okay. It excites me. I’m actually happy for this new experience,” Gabrielle comforted him. The corners of her lips lifted up with a smile.

“I hope you really are fine. I wouldn’t feel better unless you’re okay.” Hearing her assurance put Lance’s heart to rest.

“Are we going into the forest or we just passing through?” Gabrielle asked to shift the topic.

Gabrielle had no idea how the people behind them were doing. She would definitely blame herself if someone was shot or injured.

“We’re going deep into the forest. There are secret houses there that a lot of people don’t know about,” Lance replied. There was calmness in his voice.

Gabrielle felt the mystery surge. She did not ask any more questions. After all, Lance was here with her and they had narrowly escaped death. There was nothing more to be afraid of.

The Lance in front of her now was not the person she knew. He was quite different. His business in Thailand also smelled fishy. It wasn’t a surprise that he would come across gangs and whatnot.

Not long after, three jeeps arrived behind them. Gabrielle was curious and wanted to see them but Lance pulled her into the car.

“Lance, I want to know if they’re injured.”

“Gabrielle, that’s none of your business. All you need to do is to protect yourself. I hired them because they’re strong. Much stronger than you are. They can deal with it. Don’t worry about them.” After his lecture, Lance told the driver to go.

It wasn’t easy driving through the pits. The road leading to the heart of the forest was riddled with mud.

On top of that, in a span of just half an hour, they passed by three entrances, all guarded by armed men. With Lance’s influence, they let them pass through without much hassle.

Gabrielle chose not to look into it.

After all, today’s events took her by surprise. She felt like the Lance that she believed to be her cousin was a fraud.

Finally, after over an hour of driving through the mountain, their view broadened. A number of street lights came into view.

It looked very much like a small village from afar. Its unique location in the depths of the dense forest made it feel magical.

It was Gabrielle’s first time to witness this view.

Some villages looked impoverished. However, this town seemed high-end.

“Lance, where are we?” Gabrielle asked as she looked around the well-lit place.

It looked like a paradise.

“Hmmm… Look at it as a hide out. People here are from different walks of life. Some are even fugitives on the run. Stick by me when we get in. Don’t wander without me,” Lance warned.

Although the town was under a gang’s management, the residents needed to obey the rules to keep everything under control. Before she got to this place, Gabrielle had never seen these kinds of people. Lance was worried that Gabrielle would be terrified.

“Okay. Do you know who the manager is? Have you taken Bryce here?” Gabrielle nodded.

In foreign territories, visitors must learn how to obey the rules. Otherwise, they would only be brewing trouble.

“This place is quite safe. I was able to bring Bryce here because I know their boss personally. If I didn’t, how would I have been able to enter the woods? Also, these bodyguards lived here. They used to be first class mercenaries,” Lance explained briefly. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

His introduction clarified some things in Gabrielle’s mind.

She finally understood why the bodyguards had different hair colors and skin tones. They came here from all over the world.

In the village, there were people in hiding. Gabrielle had to keep her guard up at all times.

“We’re here. Let’s go.” The moment the car came to a halt, Lance got off the vehicle to give Gabrielle some assistance.

They were parked by the village entrance. Several military jeepneys could be seen in the parking area. The on-lookers merely gave them a cold stare before leaving.

Gabrielle glanced at them with vigilance. They seemed like very difficult people. All of them looked indifferent.

“Is this where we’re going to live?” For a moment, Gabrielle felt as if she trespassed into a military training camp.

“We will be staying here for now. In a couple of days, we will cross to the other side of the woods. From there, we’ll leave for Bangkok and finally go back to Antawood. If everything goes according to plan, we will be able to return home safe and sound.” There was uncertainty in his voice. He wasn’t sure what the future held.

“Alright. I understand. Let’s stay here for the meantime.” Gabrielle took one step at a time. She had never experienced anything like this but she was grateful for the learning it entailed.

She knew that she would be fine as long as Lance was by her side.

“This place is absolutely safe as long as you listen to what I say,” Lance assured.

Gabrielle knew that she had nothing to worry about. “Before anything else, please take me to see Bryce.”

“We’ll do that later. I have to introduce you to someone first. The boss here.” Lance took her arm and led her to the red building not too far away.

The rest of the houses were either black or white. However, this one was unique. Its bright red color made it stand out against the neutral buildings around it. It was really special.

“The boss has a scar on his face but don’t be scared. He can speak our language and is, without a doubt, a good man,” Lance said before they arrived at the red house.

The scar on the man’s face was huge and looked quite ferocious. It always frightened women the moment they saw him.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Gabrielle felt uncomfortable but had no choice but to be okay with it.