Winning Her Heart back (Emelie and William) novel Chapter 874

Beathan could hardly believe it. He was still alive, standing on solid ground.

He emerged from the bottom deck of a cargo ship filled with canned herring. As he inhaled in fresh air, a spark of life flickered in his gaunt, sallow face.

This wasn't Lablos. He had landed in a port of a country somewhere in the Esnua region.

No ship bound for Lablos had been willing to take him, so he had spun a heartbreaking tale of woe. It was enough to persuade an Esnuan captain to let him aboard and bring him ashore.

It didn't matter. Esnua was fine.

Beathan moved swiftly through the port, already formulating a plan in his mind.

First, he needed a place to hide. Then, he had to reach out to his contacts. There were still a few trusted allies who hadn't been caught. If they could wire him some money, he could survive.

He had to survive. He had to.

With his nerves stretched thin and his gaze fixed ahead, Beathan clung to that single thought as he moved.

But as he made his way forward, he stumbled into someone. In broken local language, he muttered, "Sorry," and tried to slip past.

However, before he could react, a swift kick landed on his chest. He was sent sprawling to the ground.

His eyes darkened with fury as he looked up, and then he locked eyes with a pair of mocking ones.

The person said, "Well, well, Mr. Collins. It's only been a few days. Why do you look so pathetic?"

Beathan's pupils shrank as though he had seen a ghost. "Emelie Hoven?!"

The heat in Esnua was oppressive, and Emelie was dressed according to the weather. A strappy top and a pair of denim shorts highlighted her slender neck and legs respectively. Over this, she wore a parka jacket and a pair of knee-high boots.

Beathan was in disbelief. "If he didn't, how the hell did you find me?"

"It wasn't hard." Emelie sat down, casually crossing one leg over the other. "You had to flee the country. So, I asked Ashley where you were likely headed.

"She thought you'd aim for Lablos. That was my first clue. Then I just had to track down your people hiding there and pressure them for information. I found out that you'd come here first."

Indeed, Beathan had contacted his men while aboard the ship. He told them that he would stop in Esnua before figuring out how to get to Lablos.

Once Emelie had that information, it had been a simple matter of checking the ships docking in Esnua over the past few days to locate him.

Beathan's breath grew ragged. He shook his head, refusing to believe her influence had grown this powerful.

"No way. You're not that capable. The world's too big. Lablos' too big. You can't be catching me this easily! It had to be William! That backstabbing coward, breaking his promises!" he said.