Chapter 404
Astrid’s POV
“Five?” I blinked, trying to process Adrian’s words through my throbbing headache.
I shook my head, certain of what I’d seen. “But there were definitely six bodyguards. Five grouped together and one standing apart. I counted them myself.”
Adrian’s face darkened. “There were five! Henry gave me ten guys total. One was driving us, four were in the car behind protecting me and Evelyn. The other five were watching Emma. That’s it.”
He whipped around to the nearby officer. “How many knocked-out bodyguards did you find at the scene?”
The officer checked his notes. “Five, sir.”
Adrian turned back to me, eyes cold as ice. “Only five bodyguards were found unconscious. So how exactly did you see six?”
I frowned, confusion battling with certainty. My eyes burned but I kept my voice steady. “That’s impossible… I know I saw six. I wouldn’t mess that up.” A thought hit me. “Unless… one wasn’t actually yours. What if he was… what if he kidnapped Emma?”
Adrian laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Still lying? Obviously –
Audrey’s POV
“I believe Astrid,” I cut in firmly.
Adrian turned to me, surprise flashing across his face.
“When I ask Astrid to handle something, she takes it seriously,” I continued. “She adores Emma. Before all this happened, she was worried about taking Emma to the garden. Why would she be careless enough to miscount the bodyguards?”
I turned to the hotel manager who’d joined us. “Do you still have the surveillance footage?”
His face fell. “The garden cameras were down, but –
“What about when they left the room?” I pressed. ‘Do you have that footage?”
He nodded quickly. “Yes! I’ll have someone pull it right away.” He hurried off, clearly relieved to escape the tension.
I looked at Astrid gently. “Do you remember how many guards were with you when you left?*
She nodded without hesitation. ‘Six. Definitely six.”
Adrian watched her skeptically. “We’ll see about that.”
The silence while we waited was brutal. Adrian paced like a caged tiger while Astrid hugged herself, eyes red but determined. My heart ached seeing her like this. Astrid had always been our rock – even when Thalia Parker targeted her, when online trolls attacked her, she never broke down. She once told Ethan and me, “Cry over that petty crap? Please. If I were that soft, would I still be Astrid Wilson?”
I walked over and touched her arm gently. “Emma’s never been in danger before. Adrian’s just scared out of his mind.”
Astrid wiped her eye quickly. “It’s fine. He should be mad at me. This is my fault.”
Adrian spun around impatiently. “What are you standing around for? Aren’t you coming to see the footage? Or are you scared your phantom bodyguard won’t
be there?”
I felt a flash of anger watching him attack Astrid. This hurt worse than if he’d aimed it at me. Why had I dragged her into this mess?
Astrid took a deep breath and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go, Audrey. My memory’s solid. There were six guards. I’m not afraid to look.”
“Mr. Knox, if the footage shows six bodyguards like I said, will you apologize?”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “To you?”
“Not to me,” she said firmly. “To Audrey.”
I turned, surprised. “Astrid…”
She kept her eyes on Adrian. “Audrey’s just as worried about Emma as you are. This isn’t on her. She just trusted me too much.”
I tried to jump in. “He didn’t-
‘Save it,” she cut me off. “I see what’s happening. If Adrian actually cared about you, he wouldn’t humiliate your friend in front of you. He might not be yelling at you directly, but I can tell he’s been taking his anger out on you this whole time.”
She squared her shoulders. “So if the video shows six people, proving I wasn’t lying or careless, it means you’ve been wrongly accusing me and taking it out on Audrey. You owe her an apology.”
The elevator fell silent. Something in Adrian’s expression shifted.
He turned to me, his voice quieter. “I’m sorry. I’ve been worried sick about Emma and I took it out on you.”
I sniffed, holding onto Astrid’s arm and looking away. “Whatever.”
The elevator dinged open.
In the surveillance room, a staff member had the footage ready on screen.
The manager nodded. “Play it.”
The video showed Astrid holding Emma’s hand as they left the hotel, followed by five men in black suits with Hartford Group logos.
Adrian shot Astrid a smug look.
“Keep watching,” she said calmly, eyes fixed on the screen.
As the footage continued, a sixth man in black appeared, trailing behind the others. Unlike the first five who walked together, this guy kept his distance, hands in his pockets, expression cold.
This sixth guard silently followed the group through the hallway, into the elevator, and toward the garden.
The manager whispered, “There really were six…”
Adrian’s brow furrowed as he stared at the screen. “That last bodyguard…”
Astrid met his gaze directly. “You see now. This guy followed us the whole time. He didn’t talk to the others, but he was definitely there with us. So when I said six bodyguards were watching us, was I wrong?”
Adrian was quiet for a moment. “You’re right.”
He turned to me. “I apologize. I was out of line.”
I shook my head, still focused on the screen. “Finding Emma is all that matters right now.”
I frowned, thinking it through. “But if six bodyguards were with them, and only five were found unconscious… what happened to the sixth one?”
I pointed to the screen. “Is he missing?”
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Astrid nodded, her eyes widening. “Yes. When I woke up, I only saw the first five. This one at the back was gone.”
She narrowed her eyes at the man on screen. “He’s not one of Henry’s men… What if he was following us deliberately, looking for a chance to grab Emma?”
Her voice hardened. “Could he be the kidnapper?”
