I'm In Love With My Bestfriend's Billionaire Fiance!
Chapter 51: Ramon Ortiz

Chapter 51: Ramon Ortiz

(JACE’S POV)

___________

Now that we had Ramon’s identity, we were going to hunt him down with everything we had. It was already almost noon, a lot of time had been spent, first at Casey’s home and then at Ethan’s, all before coming to the hotel. Now, we need to fix this issue as quickly as possible.

As we piled into Casey’s car, Ethan was studying his phone.

"Ramon’s address is familiar, I know that neighborhood."

"Good," I said as I buckled my seatbelt and settled in while Casey started the vehicle and drove us out of the underground garage. "So, what are we expecting when we get there?"

"Nothing much," Ethan replied. "It’s a low-end area, that’s where most of the low-income earners of Silicon Valley live. The rent is the most affordable there because of the meager amount that they get paid."

"Wow..." I muttered. "And you know this area well enough?"

Ethan nodded, "of course, I used to live here. I know it like the back of my hand."

I shifted in my seat as Casey pulled into the highway and floored the pedal, shooting the car forward as we weaved through the traffic.

I already knew Ethan’s past; he was fresh out of the Force when I scooped him up. A particularly bad injury that he had sustained during a shootout had forced him into early retirement at an age when he would never have considered such a move. He couldn’t go out on active duty anymore, and he also couldn’t stomach the idea of riding a desk, so he opted to quit.

And now, he was working for me. We have been together for over six years now and it has been nothing but smooth sailing for us.

"Where am I going, Ethan?" Casey asked as she steered the car through traffic.

"I got this," I took the phone from Ethan and began to copy the address into the car’s mapping system. Once I had that covered, the beacon appeared, showing us just where to go. "Okay, so we need a plan."

"There’s only one plan, Jace." Ethan replied, "You both stay in the car, I’m going speak to Ramon. That’s it."

"No, you don’t. I want to be there when you talk to him! This is someone who actively tried to ruin my life, the fact that his plan for me didn’t work doesn’t make the crime any less."

"I don’t like this, Jace. You hired me to keep you safe, yet you keep placing yourself in dangerous situations."

"Come on, you’ve gotta earn your keep, right?" I joked with a chuckle. However, I could see that he didn’t find it funny at all. I had to allay his fears, "There’s nothing dangerous about where we’re going, is there? We’re simply talking to a former member of staff of the Royale Hotel, that’s all. It’s not like he’s going to try to kill us."

"Just listen to me for once, please," Ethan said. "Let me handle this."

I smiled at him, "Okay then, as you wish."

He eyed me warily, not trusting my acceptance, "are you sure?"

I simply smirked as I turned back to face the road. Casey was focusing on her driving, she kept stealing glances at the map to make sure that she was going in the right direction. Soon, she drove out of the highway and sped down a long road. The further we went, the smaller the road became, three lanes shrunk into two and that soon shrunk further into one and a half.

There were shops all over the sides of the road, and the ditches and pedestrian walkways, all made the road even smaller. Many times, she had to pull over to the side of the road so that cars coming from the opposite direction could drive past.

"Fuck..." she muttered after pulling over for the fourth time. "How the hell do people survive here? If I had to deal with this every morning, I would run mad."

"Believe me, many people don’t have a choice where they end up," Ethan said from the backseat. "They simply make do. Also, a lot of the residents here don’t bother having cars, taking the bus and trains is easier and more economical for them. Everyone does what is realistic for them."

Soon, the map began to beep steadily; we were getting closer. Casey turned the car into yet another street, driving over a ditch as she reduced her speed further while we all perused the surroundings. There were flats and apartments dotted all over the place. Any one of them could be Ramon’s.

However, there was a way to search for sure. The houses were numbered, and we simply followed the numbering system. Driving past the houses until Casey suddenly stepped on the brakes, bringing the car to a shuddering halt.

"No. 16!" She said, "I think we’ve found Ramon’s house. At least, according to the map."

From the backseat, Ethan glanced around the neighborhood. The entire street was void of children, only a few adults were walking about. The children were all in school and the adults must have gone to work. The few adults who were present were minding their shops.

"Okay then, I’ll be back," Ethan said as he opened the car and stepped out.

I immediately pulled my mask out of my pocket and wore it over my face, the last thing I wanted was for word to get out that I was in the neighborhood. It could start off a mob that would never see the end. So, covering my face, I stepped out beside Ethan. He turned then, anger evident on his face.

"I told you to stay in the car!" He muttered with frustration.

"Yeah you did, but I refused to listen. Now, let’s go."

I made to leave but he pulled me back by the elbow, "What if Ramon is dangerous? What if I’m unable to protect you?"

"Relax, okay?" I turned then to Casey who was still in the car behind the wheel. "Just hold on a little bit, okay? We’ll be back soon."

"I’m not staying in here," she retorted as she kicked the door open and stepped out as well. "You don’t expect me to miss out on all the fun, do you?"

"Holy fuck, what the hell is going on?" Ethan muttered, "The only thing you guys are gonna do is to delay me. I can’t have that! I don’t want to do what I have to do while worrying about your asses!"

"Allow us to worry about it ourselves, but since you’re so pumped to protect us, why don’t you take the lead on this?" Casey told him.

He gave a grunt, and then without another word, Ethan began to walk away. I exchanged a glance with her, I was going to smile but I stopped myself at the last moment. I wasn’t ready just yet to call it quits on my issue with her. I didn’t like the fact that she was trying to avoid the fact that we loved each other and forced us into something that we could never be. Until she finally accepted the truth, we would remain this way.

We followed Ethan, jumping over a ditch as we walked into a driveway towards an apartment. The walls of the building were whitewashed, it looked like it was built years ago and was on the verge of collapse.

"Uhm... are you sure this Ramon would have anything tangible to tell us?" Casey asked.

"The offer to return to the car is still on the table," Ethan said as we began to climb the staircase towards the front door. However, just as our feet touched the bottom step, the door opened and we saw Ramon stepping out of the house. He had a box in his hand while he was also wearing a backpack.

"Holy shit!" I gasped as I realized that he was prepped for travel. If we had come in a minute later, he would have been gone forever.

Ramon must have recognized us at once because he immediately dropped his box, turned back into the house, and slammed the door shut!

However, the box began to tumble down the steps, bumbling and tumbling towards us with sickening thuds. With every step it covered, the box picked up speed, gaining momentum. At that point, anything it crashed into would be disastrous.

It was heading right for us!

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