Love After Leaving: No Regret (Agnes and Raymond) novel Chapter 126

Chapter 126 In Velmara

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They planned to take Agnes straight to the jewelry store to pick up the pigeon’s blood rubies.

Bisky pulled up in a battered minivan, the kind that looked ready for the scrapyard. Agnes kept quiet, but she was appalled she’d paid so much for a trip and ended up in a ride like this.

At the hotel entrance, Bisky bumped into a friend. The two men traded cigarettes and chatted in a local dialect Agnes couldn’t decipher.

Pearl chattered constantly about the city’s famous food and best sights. Bisky said almost nothing.

Sometimes Pearl and Bisky switched into their local slang, leaving Agnes lost.

Agnes felt uneasy. She quietly opened a voice translation app on her phone.

app spat out a stilted message: “Drive

The forget the money.”

faster. They’re waiting. Everything’s set. Enough talking. Don’t

Bisky kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror, his gaze sharp and lingering.

Agnes tried to ignore it, but her sense of dread grew. Pearl’s relentless cheerfulness did nothing to calm her.

They left the city behind, and the road turned rough, gravel crunching under the tires.

Pearl beamed and said, “This shortcut will get us there faster.”

Agnes‘ instincts screamed at her. She was staying at the priciest hotel in Velmara–no way a top jewelry store should be this far from the center.

Her translator pinged again. The new message was “Out of gas. Stop to refuel. Keep an eye on her in the van.

Don’t let her run.”

A cold sweat broke out on

skin. She realized something was seriously wrong. Is this a scam?

Bisky pulled into a grimy gas station. Pearl told Agnes to stay in the van.

Agnes spotted a convenience use the restroom.

store next

to the

pumps

and made up her mind. She told Pearl she needed to

Pearl tried to dissuade her

Agnes insisted, “I really can’t

Pearl relented but he d

As they passed Bisky,

practically screamed, Wh

you

I wait a little longer We’re almost there. This place is filthy anyway.”

I have to go right now

D

caught a hard glare of suspicion and anger on his face. He shot Pearl a look at are you letting her out?

Pearl shook her head a and shot Bisky a warning glare, then stuck to Agnes like glue.

Even inside the convenience store, Pearl trailed Agnes step for step. Agnes could barely move without her in

Tow.

Every weird move made Agnes more suspicious.

11:58 Fri, Jul 30

Chapter 126 In Velmara

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Agnes stopped at the restroom door. “Pearl, wait for me outside. There’s only one stall.”

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Pearl protested, “Ms. Sinclair, this isn’t a safe area. I need to make sure you’re okay. I know this place.

Agnes replied, “There’s only a cashier outside. It’s broad daylight. I’ll be fine. I’m just not comfortable with you right next to me.”

Pearl hesitated, scanning the store, then finally agreed to wait outside. No one was here, and she didn’t want to rile up any suspicion.

Agnes closed the door and immediately searched the room. She’d noticed every odd gesture from Pearl and Bisky. Her instincts were screaming.

She found a window in the corner that looked out over a thick stretch of woods.

She tried to open it, but the old frame was stuck. To cover any noise, she flushed the toilet a few times.

Pearl’s anxious voice floated through the door, impatient. Agnes shoved at the window and called out, “Almost done!”

At last, she forced the window open. She

hear Pearl getting frustrated, jiggling the doorknob.

Agnes squeezed through the window, scraping her arm on the rough edge. She winced but didn’t look back. She dropped down into the brush.

She knew she couldn’t get far. Bisky still had the van, and she had no idea where she was.

She remembered climbing trees as a kid. Raymond used to teach her behind Estelle’s house. She wondered if she still had it in her.

No time to think. She picked a sturdy tree and hauled herself up.

Her arms burned and her breath came in short gasps. She barely managed to climb high enough to get lost in the leaves.

The thick, humid air made the tree’s foliage dense.

Agnes tucked herself into the branches, barely daring to breathe.

From her perch, she watched Pearl burst out of the restroom, shouting for Bisky. The two of them were frantic, searching everywhere.

Bisky barked into his phone. His voice is tight and angry

Agnes stayed frozen in the tree, motionless. She waited until she saw Bisky and Pearl finally give up and drive off in the van.

She

the

down and slipped back to the convenience store. She found the cashier and begged him to call

The ca

just stared, confused and uncomprehending. He didn’t speak a word of Agnes‘ language. Agnes pulled out her phone and used a translation app to show him her message, desperate for help.

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