Hunter's mind exploded as soon as he heard about the news and he went blank for a few moments. 'Dead? Mia's father is dead? How did this happen? Oh my God! Does Mia know?'
As soon as he thought about Mia, Hunter panicked immediately. "What about Mia? Is there any news from her? Does she know?"
"That..." The man on the other side hesitated and Hunter's heart dropped as he feared the worst. "There has been no news from Mia for quite some time now. Do you have any idea where she is?"
'What the fucking hell!! If Mia has not gone to her father's place, where did she go and why did Ryan lie to me?' Hunter's back was drenched with sweat and he clutched the phone tight until his knuckles turned white.
"I am sorry, Sir. I do not know where she is either. I have been trying to call her. I thought I could ask Mr. Williams about her." Hunter lowered his head. "I am sorry for your loss."
"I will have to go, young man. It's a mess here and I need to handle many things. Do call us if you find out anything about Mia."
"Sure, Sir. Will do." Hunter lowered his head and leaned against the wall.
"Why is everything becoming so convoluted as time passes? Mia, where are you?" Hunter closed his eyes and sighed before a thought entered his mind, forcing him to open his eyes wide.
"Did the man just say that Mia's father died and not pass away?" He wondered, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "Does it mean that Mia's father was killed or...."
Without hesitation, Hunter redialled the number he had called a moment ago. But this time, the response he received made him drop his phone immediately.
"What the heck is happening!! How did the number become non-existent within a minute?" Hunter was in denial and picked up the phone before carefully dialing the number, only to meet the same result.
Hunter slid down, the sudden movement sending tremors of pain through his shoulders and he hissed in agony. But his shock overtook his pain and he pulled his hair in frustration.
"What is happening? Mia is missing, her father is dead and now, I cannot reach her uncle, the only person who knows what is happening in Mia's family." Hunter mumbled. "Should I speak to Ryan? Will he have answers for me?"
As soon as the notion popped up in Hunter's mind, he shook his head. "No, Ryan is suspicious. He may not give me the truth if I ask him. I might even alert him if I ask him about Mia's father. So I need to be careful."
With that thought in mind, Hunter took deep breaths to cool down and finally, after some time, he forced himself up and dragged his body to his bed. After taking a comfortable position such that his shoulder was less painful, he started analyzing the situation calmly.
"How do I find out what happened to Mia's father? Who will help me?" he wondered and the next instant, Naomi's face flashed in his mind.
"Aha, how did I forget about her? Naomi, I can only depend on you now." So, without wasting any more time, Hunter called Naomi and she answered immediately to his relief.
"Hmm, I never expected I would get a call from you this soon. Albeit surprising, I'm not surprised. How are you, Hunter?" Naomi chirped and Hunter's tension eased a little.
"I am fine, Naomi. Thanks for asking. Listen, I have a favor to ask you." Hunter did not dawdle and stated the purpose of his call right away.
"Well, sure, tell me. What can I do for you?" Naomi was about to tease him when she sensed the seriousness in his tone and she dropped her playfulness and leaned forward on her desk. "What's the matter?"
"I am looking for a friend, Mia. She's been missing for some time. Would you mind looking into her details?" Hunter explained.
"Not a problem. Anything that can help me speed up the process?" Naomi switched on her laptop, ready to start her mission.
"I will forward all that I have about her. Please try to find her if possible."
"I'll try, Hunter. But I can't guarantee anything."
"No worries. Also, before I forget, do you mind looking into Mia's father's details too? Unfortunately, he died a few days ago..."
"And you suspect that he was murdered and it was not a natural death?" Naomi finished his words and Hunter obliged silently.
"Hmm...Interesting. I'll do everything I can. But in case I am unable to uncover anything..." She stopped, not knowing what else to say.
"It's fine. At least you tried, that is all that matters. Thanks a lot." Hunter pinched the space between his brows and let out a sigh.
"Hunter..." Naomi bit her tongue and thought for a moment.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing. Rest well."
"I will. Thanks. Also, please don't..." Hunter stopped himself in time. 'If I were to ask Naomi not to say a word to Ryan, that would only look dubious.'
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing much. If you cannot find anything, don't take any stress. It's okay."
"Umm...sure." Albeit skeptical, Naomi did not question him about it. "I'll call you back once I find anything useful."
Hunter let out a sigh and forwarded all the information he had about Mia before he closed his eyes. Soon, his exhaustion got the best of him and he was out in no time.
Hunter had no idea how much time had passed. It was not until his phone blared beside his ear that he woke up with a groan, cursing the person who had disturbed his sleep.
"Hello..." Hunter grumbled. 'If you do not have something important to say, I don't care who you are, I'll find you and chop you into pieces.' He promised in his mind.
"Hunter, hi. I'm sorry I disturbed you. I found a few things that might help you."
As soon as he heard Naomi's voice, his sleep vanished and Hunter sat up straight, this time, careful enough not to move his shoulder much.
"What did you find out?" He could not suppress his eagerness and his brows shot up slightly.
"Although I could not find anything about Mia, I did find out a few things about her father's death."
"What?"
"Umm....Her father was murdered."
"And?" It was not unexpected and Hunter realized that there was more to it.
"And he was killed by a member of our organization. We had received the contract."
To Hunter, this was even more explosive than Mia's father's death, and it took him a long time to accept it. He was too dumbfounded to speak and his silence said it all.
"Who?" That was all he managed to say after some time and Naomi understood him immediately.
"It was Wolf. Wolf killed Joseph Williams."