“Bronx?” Judy frowned.
Baykeep was currently in a state of high tension. The International Gambling Tournament would determine the next city lord, and even Judy was keeping a close eye on the situation. After all, Baykeep was the wealthiest city under her rule–there was no way she’d let Shirley snatch it away.
“Put him through,” Judy instructed.
Harry connected the call.
“Your Highness Judy,” Bronx’s voice came through the speaker.
Judy twirled her pen between her fingers. “Bronx, it’s quite late. What do you have to report?”
The city lord cut straight to the point. “Your Highness, those two people you’ve been looking for–they’ve shown up in Baykeep.”
Judy’s expression shifted instantly. The projection screen flickered to life, displaying several photographs of the pair being captured as they disembarked from the Noah Cruise Ship.
Judy clenched her fists in frustration. Joshua had been aboard the Noah Cruise Ship this entire time, yet she hadn’t received a single piece of intelligence about his whereabouts. The man wasn’t even trying to hide–acting so brazenly without the slightest attempt at concealment.
‘What were my planted informants on that ship even doing? They were utterly useless,’ Judy thought furiously.
Her gaze fixed on the woman beside Joshua–the one with blue hair and pale golden eyes. Though her features bore no resemblance to Shermaine’s, Judy recognized her instantly. That woman was definitely Shermaine.
Bronx continued, “The woman is also one of the top ten players in the tournament. As for the man, he’s the newly appointed boss of the Eagle Assassins. His methods are absolutely ruthless–even Queen Cobra fell to his hands. Hell, even I suffered a major defeat against him.”
He paused, his tone growing more serious. “Since these are the people Her Highness Judy has been searching for, I respectfully request that Your Highness dispatch forces to surround and capture them. We need to prevent any complications that might spiral into bigger problems.”
Judy turned to Harry with decisive authority. “Harry, mobilize five thousand army troops. The day after tomorrow at dawn, you’ll accompany me to Baykeep.”
The timing would be perfect–the day after tomorrow was the final battle of the International Gambling Tournament.
Teddy had been successfully revived and moved to a secure location–a secret base where they could keep him safe. Jasmine and Gracie had also been brought here by Joshua’s people, while Bronx’s men had raided the hotel only to find it empty.
After sleeping for an hour, Teddy slowly came to. He’d been certain he was going to die, but somehow Joshua and Shermaine had actually saved him.
Damien clapped him on the shoulder. “Focus on getting better. Once you’re back on your feet, you’ll work alongside me for the boss.”
Teddy nodded. “Where is Boss?”
“Next room over.”
Damien had already arranged for two fighter jets to be quietly transported and stored here. Shermaine was now working through the night to calibrate the jets, with Joshua providing assistance.
At one in the morning, Joshua looked up from his work. “Why don’t you get some sleep? I can handle the adjustments from here.”
Shermaine yawned–she really was getting tired. Without any fuss, she adjusted her chair and pulled a blanket over herself. “Wake me when you’re done.”
“Alright.”
Despite feeling drowsy, she found herself unable to fall asleep once she’d settled down. Her thoughts drifted to Danielle and the others.
Shermaine shifted onto her side, studying Joshua’s profile in the dim light. “Mr. York,” she said softly, “we still haven’t chosen a name for Gracie.”
“We’ll let Gracie’s grandparents handle that when we get home.”
That was probably for the best–naming was such a headache anyway.
Joshua turned his head toward her. “Can’t sleep?”
“Yeah,” Shermaine replied.
“Want me to stay with you?”
“Yes.”
He pulled back the blanket and settled beside her, his voice gentle as he murmured, “Go to sleep now.”
Shermaine nestled into Joshua’s arms, closing her eyes obediently. The steady, strong rhythm of his heartbeat gradually lulled her into slumber.
When she woke the next morning, Shermaine intended to get back to work, only to discover that Joshua had finished adjusting the final data parameters for the fighter jets while she slept. This meant their two S-class mecha fighter jets were finally ready for flight testing.