Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1000

Lights blazed across the villa's balcony, throwing everything into sharp relief for Mira's team.

"What are Mishka and Mara dragging out there?"

Mr. Whitlock asked.

Because of the sheer distance, the exact nature of the heavy object remained indistinguishable.

"Is it explosives? She went through hell to extract Mara—you don't think she's turning her into a human bomb, do you?"

Owen mused.

"Mira, if she sends Mara to provoke you, do not let her get close,"

Master Ellis warned.

"She's likely riddled with diseases by now. Keep that in mind,"

Mr. Whitlock added grimly.

"It's not just me; all of you need to be on high alert. None of us should allow any strangers into our personal space.

That goes double for the food and drinks we consume."

Mira glanced at her team. "Never forget, whatever biohazards Mara is carrying are lethal weapons in themselves."

"When we get back, we inform the rest of the crew. Stick to the communal buffets at the motel; absolutely no private room service orders."

Since the motel was packed with ordinary tourists, any mass poisoning would immediately burn the location to the ground, something Mishka likely wanted to avoid.

"We need to plant our own eyes in that kitchen,"

Master Ellis commanded.

Having gathered enough actionable intel on the estate, Mira and the team melted back into the darkness.

Their next stop was the private hospital owned by Mishka's family.

From the outside, the facility looked like any standard medical center. Its visible guard posts and external security were practically nonexistent compared to the fortress at the villa.

"They wouldn't dare make the exterior look suspicious. It's a front meant to deceive the public,"

Mr. Whitlock explained.

"The only real difference is the sheer scale. It's massive compared to a normal clinic.

Fortunately, the devastated woman walked at a sluggish pace. Mira's team trailed her effortlessly, keeping a safe distance.

Once they cleared a distant hill well out of the hospital's line of sight, Mira accelerated, closing the gap in seconds.

Hearing the rapid footsteps behind her, the woman gasped in terror and scrambled toward the tall grass to hide.

Mira seized her arm instantly. "Let go—"

The second the woman tried to scream, Mira pressed a nerve bundle on her neck, silencing her vocal cords. "Don't panic. We aren't going to hurt you."

The middle-aged woman trembled violently, her eyes darting to the shadowy figures looming behind Mira. In this city, people vanishing into the night was a horrifying reality.

She tried to scream again, but her throat refused to make a sound.

"I mean it, we aren't the enemy. If you nod and promise to answer our questions quietly, I'll release the pressure."

Mira locked a calm, commanding gaze onto the terrified woman's eyes.

The woman's raw panic slowly receded into fearful rationality, and she gave a frantic nod.

Mira released the pressure point, and the stiffness in the woman's throat vanished immediately.