Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 482: The Art of Coercion

"See? Isn't this better?"

"We each have a secret now. Neither of us will dare say a word to anyone else."

As he spoke, Kurt slowly raised the sophisticated crossbow in his hand. The cold tip of the bolt was aimed steadily at the exposed carotid artery in Flowie’s neck.

The air felt like it had turned to stone.

On the screen, the hand Flowie used to hold the knife shook as if she had a fever. Tears mingled with cold sweat and ran down her face. It was as if she were seeing the true face of the man she slept next to for the first time. Her voice was hoarse. "Killing people yourself was not enough? You have to force me to be a murderer too?!"

"Shut the hell up!" Kurt’s patience snapped.

"If you hadn't posted that stupid video, none of this would be happening! You forced my hand!"

"I was afraid your precious fish were dying!" In the midst of her terror, Flowie felt a surge of absurd rage.

"How was I supposed to know you threw human teeth into the tank? Or that you watered the plants with blood! You... you are a complete lunatic!"

"A lunatic?" Kurt bared his teeth in a grin full of cruel pride. "Weren't you the one bragging to everyone about how your husband is an artist and a collector? Weren't you so proud then?"

He kicked the woman on the floor whose eyes were wrapped in bandages. "Without me taking their organs to trade for cash, where do you think this jewelry, this villa, and those expensive paints and gallery tickets came from?"

"Do you have any idea how much money it burns to stay in the art and collection world?"

He took a step forward, the tip of the bolt almost touching Flowie’s throat.

"Dealing with gallery owners, curators, and critics... every single bit of it costs money!"

His tone suddenly turned cold, carrying the finality of an ultimatum. "Now, either you move and make this piece of trash on the floor shut up forever, or…"

Kurt’s icy gaze swept over Flowie and the bound woman.

"Both of you are finished."

"Choose."

Inside the Dimsdale police command van, the air was suffocating. Everyone stared at the screen, frozen by the lethal standoff.

If they charged in, Kurt had two hostages and a crossbow leveled at Flowie’s vitals. If they did nothing, a double tragedy was seconds away. They had to interrupt him. They had to buy time.

Nancy’s mind raced through the twisted words Kurt had just spat out. She caught several keywords. Fame, fortune, art collections. A man desperate for recognition, using money to build an identity, and willing to kill for it...

"Kurt is an art collector, right?"

Nancy’s words came out like rapid fire. "Check every piece of art or antique registered or publicly linked to him immediately!"

"Get one of our people, or a reliable middleman, to call him right now. Say a mysterious buyer is interested in his collection and is willing to pay a high price in cash. Tell him they want to talk immediately!"

The lead officer’s eyes lit up. "A distraction to rattle him. Good plan!"

"Go! Do it now! Every second counts!"

The order was relayed instantly through the encrypted channel.

On the screen, Kurt’s patience had clearly hit its limit. The muscles in his face twitched, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and his finger began to slowly squeeze the trigger. The bolt remained motionless, pointed at Flowie’s heaving neck.

At that exact heartbeat, Kurt’s phone on the coffee table began to buzz and vibrate, the screen lighting up with a harsh glow.

His brow furrowed. He glanced at it with annoyance. It was an unknown number. This sudden intrusion caused the lethal tension in his posture to flicker, just for a fraction of a second.

Kurt gave Flowie a dark look, gesturing with the crossbow for her to stay put while he reached out with his other hand for the vibrating phone.

He swiped to answer.

"Is this Mr. Kurt? Sorry for the intrusion. I heard you have some excellent pieces in your collection. My boss is very interested and is willing to pay three times the market value in cash. I wonder if you are... available to discuss the details now?"

The moment he heard about a big deal, the expression on Kurt’s face changed. "Available. Of course I am."

The officer posing as the collector’s assistant kept his tone perfectly balanced between urgency and sincerity. "It's like this, Mr. Kurt. My boss is flying out of the country tomorrow, so time is very tight. Can we meet now to talk?"

Nancy held her breath, listening to the conversation through the bug. The police wanted to lure Kurt out of the house to make the rescue easier. But she didn't know if he would take the bait.

Sure enough, Kurt’s voice was full of suspicion and suppressed impatience. "It has to be today? It is New Year’s Eve, and I am busy here. Are you serious about this, or are you just playing with me?"

He was incredibly cautious. Nancy’s heart sank.

The Dimsdale police adapted instantly. On the other end, the "collector" immediately shifted tactics.