Facade of Love

Chapter 409 The Joke's on Us

Idris!

He was here!

With that thought, I shot a look at Gregory. "You guys..."

He quirked an eyebrow. "I couldn't have gotten a patrol boat here all by myself for no reason."

Thus, they had planned to corner Lucas's ship right here.

Lucas caught sight of Idris on the approaching boat and narrowed his eyes. Turning to me, he said, "Yvette, looks like he's more stubborn than I thought."

I bit my lip. The illegal goods were already fish food. What could the cops find now, even if they turned the place upside down?

What could they possibly pin on Lucas? It was just a time sink.

"Mr. Young, fancy running into you again!" Lucas slid into the seat beside me and looked up at Idris, who was standing on the patrol boat's deck across from us.

Idris stayed silent. However, a cop on his boat called out to Lucas, demanding to inspect his vessel.

Lucas played it cool, throwing his hands up and inviting them to search to their hearts' content.

A squad of officers swarmed our ship, poking around each cabin.

The deck was breezy. There stood Idris, a distant figure locked in a silent standoff with me. I could not begin to guess what was going through his head.

Before long, the cops came back empty-handed. Seeing that they had come up with zilch, Lucas announced, "If we're all good here, we've got a schedule to keep. We'll be on our way."

He turned to his crew, "Let's bid our friends in blue farewell. It is time to set sail."

"Got it!" The shout echoed from the ship's second-floor cabin, followed by the heavy thud of boots on the stairs. A young cop lugged a crate down and set it with a thud on the deck.

He looked at the officer in charge and said, "We've got a problem here."

The officer narrowed his eyes and turned to Lucas. "We're going to need to take a look inside this crate."

Lucas's brow creased in a frown. However, he quickly agreed, "Sure, go ahead."

With a loud snap, the crate was cracked open, revealing a stash of guns packed to the brim.

The cops tensed up in a heartbeat, their eyes all fixed on Lucas.

Sure, Lucas was known to have guns, but to stash them so openly on a ship? Firearms were a no- go in this country, and a crateful like this screamed illegal. He was definitely in for a rough chat with the authorities.

I shot a look at Gregory, who seemed cool as a cucumber, as if he had expected this. Leaning closer, I whispered, "Your handiwork?" Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

He let out a low laugh. "Look at that arsenal. You really think I could snag that many pieces and sneak them out of the precinct to stash on his boat?"

He had a point. Small-time contraband, maybe, but an armory? No chance.

I gave him a sidelong glance and murmured, "So you knew about this stash? Is that why you weren't pushing for Lucas to hit international waters?"

He just arched an eyebrow. "Stumbled upon it by chance."

Looks like Lucas had been playing his own game.

At least no one could say he was framed.

The sight of the guns had the cops on high alert. One of them stepped forward and addressed Lucas, "Time to go. You're in deep for smuggling this many guns. You're coming with us."

Lucas's expression had a hint of defiance. "Is it just me, or is everyone on this ship under arrest?"

The cop's frown deepened. "Everyone is coming in."

Lucas flashed a sly grin at the officer and teased, "Smuggling weapons is a pretty serious accusation. Maybe you guys should take a closer look. Are these really weapons?"

The cops scrunched up their faces in confusion. Gregory was the first to catch on, squatting down for a better look, and his face went pale.

The rest followed suit. One of them exclaimed, "They're toy guns!"

Lucas's grin widened. "The toys back home are top-notch. I just had to have them. Who knew I would nearly end up a criminal?"

He was obviously messing with them.

The cops were not amused. Gregory, of course, was not fooled.

With the inspection going nowhere, Lucas chimed in, "If we're all done here, I would like to get my fiancée home. Can we head out?"

The head cop stayed quiet, glancing over at Idris, who had been watching from a short distance. He must have seen through Lucas's game from the start.

Idris kept it brief, locking eyes with me. "Once we're past the border, it's open sea. Are you sure about leaving with him?"

I met his gaze, fully aware that Idris would take me back without a second thought if I wavered. Nevertheless, I nodded, my voice steady. "Yes."