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!

truck flipped several times

Ludwik's sports car, forcing

dazed and bleeding, stumbled out of his car, racing towards the overturned

blow, Ludwik, he's

"What if he's not."

check, hoping the man might

as he approached, the tanker and

the final moments, Parker

cleared, Ludwik, face down in the dirt, watched the only lead to his

composure and ignoring the blood trickling down his forehead, Ludwik lit a cigarette, his

you get a

I got photos. This guy was just a

us digging around. But this just proves Sammy might still be in Emperor City. And this is bigger than Elaine's

"If Sammy was still with Elaine, she wouldn't dare play these games in

the Bartels family under your thumb and Elaine confined in Banyan

believe Elaine. She said she lost Sammy during the kidnapping. Who

in the junkyard, with

ID on the man from the truck, and check the tanker. Follow

rang. It was the forensic

the junkyard, to the black car that held traces of Sammy's

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, a glimmer of hope: a piece of fabric

he took the evidence bag

from Sammy,

while potentially from a woman's clothing,

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

detailed photos of the fingerprints and the fabric, Ludwik was

"Give it to the police, and conduct

our best," the

investigation was for Sammy's safety. He

to being caught between a rock and a hard place, made him more reticent about going