Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 456

The morning sky was barely lit as Ludwik sped towards the outskirts of Emperor City in his sports car, heading for an abandoned junkyard.

A thick fog enveloped the area, making the black car, suspended by a crane among countless junked vehicles, almost mystical.

As Ludwik drove in, he saw Parker's crew guarding the black car while his own team of forensic experts and detectives were on their way. "Ludwik!" The sound of a scuffle broke the silence.

It came from Parker's direction. Ludwik's face hardened, recognizing the mysterious rival also investigating the black car-linked to Sammy's kidnapping. They likely aimed to destroy the car before Ludwik could find any clues! "Collect every fingerprint on this car, inspect every detail!" Ludwik instructed the forensic team, then dashed towards Parker, bypassing the sports car.

Unexpectedly, a rusted truck burst out from within the junkyard!

"Ludwik, he's getting away!" Parker shouted.

Ludwik's face was ice-cold as he returned to his sports car, slammed the door, and floored the accelerator, chasing the truck.

They were nearing a highway overpass. "Parker, we trap him before the overpass!" Ludwik commanded over the phone.

"I'm right behind you."

Parker's car was fast approaching.

The truck ahead panicked, swerving and crashing into barriers in a desperate attempt to escape Ludwik's relentless chase.

With the fog thickening near the overpass, visibility dropped.

Ludwik, with grim determination, pushed his car to its limits.

"Ludwik! Stop, there's a tanker truck ahead..."

Parker suddenly spotted a massive tanker, running a red light, aiming straight for the rogue truck.

"Someone's trying to kill the guy in the truck! Stop chasing him!"

But Ludwik, driven by the slim chance of saving his son, didn't relent.

Boom!

massive explosion. The truck flipped several times before coming to a halt. The leaking tanker

into Ludwik's sports car, forcing it to a screeching halt

bleeding, stumbled out of his

blow, Ludwik, he's probably

"What if he's not."

was determined to check, hoping the

the tanker and

the final moments,

Ludwik, face down in the dirt, watched the only lead

blood trickling down his forehead, Ludwik lit a cigarette, his

did you get a good

guy was just a middleman; there's someone else pulling the

might still be in Emperor City. And this is

the cigarette underfoot, his face a mask of vengeance. "If Sammy was still with Elaine, she wouldn't dare play these games in Emperor

family under your thumb and Elaine confined in Banyan City, what's your

Sammy during the kidnapping. Who

had gone cold in the junkyard,

the man from the truck, and check the tanker.

rang. It was

junkyard, to the black car that held traces of

car's clean. If it was used for the kidnapping, they were cautious. We found only two sets of fingerprints: a child's and an adult's, but the adult's are partial at best." But then,

took the evidence bag

it was a message from Sammy, a clue left by

from a woman's clothing,

to share this new development with Whitney, the first person he wanted to

fingerprints and the fabric, Ludwik was determined to

back to the forensic analyst, "Give it to the police, and conduct a private investigation, especially

best,"

safety. He

to being caught between a rock and a hard place, made