Ice and Fire novel Chapter 80

Jackson's resentment was obvious in his eyes. He said, "Cherry needs to be found, even it means every stone in this city turned, and every place in it searched."

With these words, Jackson stood up, and walked out of the house.

Jackson didn't give up on his search for Cherry, because he still didn't believe that she could possibly leave him like that. If she had indeed left, then there had to be some records at the railway station or the airport, indicating where she had gone to, but alas, nothing there proved to be useful. That meant that she was still in the city, and as long as she was still there, he had to find her at all costs.

An hour passed and Jackson still got no news about Cherry's whereabouts, and he started to question the gangsters' abilities. In the past, his grandpa had led them to successfully handle all kinds of tricky matters, all throughout China, but now they couldn't find a woman in a city?

Although he looked resentful, he was actually worried, and anxious. His desire to see and hug Cherry became stronger with each passing minute, and as he looked at all the people walking on the street, Jackson muttered, "Babe, where are you? Why are you hiding from me? If you're in trouble, we can solve it together. I'll do whatever you want, but please, just show yourself and stop torturing me. I miss you so much, just come out and talk to me."

Another hour then passed, and Jackson still received no information. However, he was surprised when he received a call from his grandpa, asking him to come to his home.

Back at the military's residential compound, Jackson walked into the living room, but he didn't greet his grandpa with as much respect as he usually did. He sat down on the couch and took out his phone, and anxiously waited for any news regarding Cherry's whereabouts.

Andrew saw his grandson's anxiety and helplessness, and also felt worried. He slowly walked up to his grandson and sat beside him, and amiably asked, "Jackson, what happened? Why has Cherry gone missing? I thought that everything was fine when she came to visit me two days ago."

Jackson shook his head in front of his grandpa, and with a pathetic and wronged childish tone, he answered, "I don't know; actually, I know nothing."

Andrew took the situation and his grandson's sadness in. He patted Jackson on his shoulder tenderly, and tried to comfort him, "It's fine, don't worry. If you've asked them to find Cherry for you, then they will find her, I promise you that. Don't worry..."

Andrew had lost all of his comforting words. He also couldn't do nothing about it, and also had to wait and hope that the gangsters would find a way to eventually find Cherry. He wondered why Jackson had even called them, because if he ever needed assistance, he would have helped him and asked others to help him solve all of his worries. Andrew thought that his grandson had either been too worried, or too emotional, to contact the gangsters so willingly, something that he had avoided for years to do, and he failed to find out any more useful information out of him. He sympathised with him, but he had never thought that his beloved grandson would have ever become so helpless and panicked because of Cherry's sudden disappearance.

Jackson lowered his head, pondered the current difficult situation he was facing, and kept silent.

Suddenly, Jackson's phone rang and startled him; he shot a serious glance at it and picked it up.

Jackson anxiously asked, "Have you found her?"

A male voice answered, "Sorry, Mr. Jackson, but we've failed, we couldn't find any trace of her whereabouts. Miss Cherry left her apartment three days ago, but from there, all traces of her remain unknown."

Disappointed, Jackson didn't reply, but when he was just about to hang up, the man on the other end of the line spoke again.

The gangster asked skeptically, "Mr. Jackson, don't you think that this whole thing seems a bit weird?"

Jackson then said, "Tell me more."

With a clear and serious tone in his voice, the man continued, "I can promise you that Miss Cherry has left the city. However, we've checked all the records at all the railway stations, airports and ports in the city, but have found nothing. I think that those records must have been tampered with."

Jackson agreed with his suspicions, and wondered who could have done such a thing. Certainly it wasn't Cherry, because she wasn't capable of that kind of feat. Moreover, if she wanted to run away, then she wouldn't have acted alone. Who was the man behind all of this?

Before Jackson could think of someone, the man on the other end of the line spoke again to him.

"Perhaps, Mr. Jackson, you should carefully consider who has the capability to do something like this; that might give you the answer that you seek, " said the man in a peaceful and indifferent manner.

Jackson was enlightened by his suggestion, and his expression suddenly distorted and darkened. He stood up from the couch and walked out of the living room, and replied, "I've underestimated him." He left in a haste, without even saying goodbye to his grandfather.