Badass in Disguise Chapter 172

Author's POV:

The assistant's face contorted with rage as he gestured toward Jade and Zach. "All of you, get them!" he shouted to his remaining security team.

Before they could move, a familiar voice cut through the tension.

"Jade! Is that you?"

Jade turned to see Chase Astor jogging toward them, his designer shoes barely touching the ground as he moved. His eyes widened as he took in the scene—Zach standing over a unconscious man, the group of suited men frozen in uncertainty, and Jade leaning casually against her car.

Chase glanced at the security team, then at the men already sprawled on the pavement. His lips curled into an amused smile. "What's happening here? Are you recruiting team members? Testing their abilities?"

Jade rolled her eyes. Trust Chase to find humor in a standoff.

Chase's gaze lingered on Zach, who had just knocked a man twice his size unconscious with a single punch. "If you're hiring, I'd like to apply." He winked at Zach. "Maybe you could put in a good word for me? I'm great at... well, looking pretty."

Zach didn't react, his face expressionless as he stared down the remaining security personnel.

The assistant groaned, pushing himself up from the ground. Blood trickled from his nose as he pointed at them. "Take them! All of them! Mr. Richards wants them now!"

Chase's playful demeanor vanished. "What's going on, Jade?"

"These guys came looking for trouble," she said, nodding toward the assistant. "They found it."

Chase's expression hardened instantly. He stepped forward and grabbed the assistant by his collar, yanking him up. "Who the hell are you?"

The assistant's eyes widened. He looked at Chase—who stood a full head taller than him—then tried to wrench himself free. Chase's grip only tightened.

"Let go of me," the assistant snarled, struggling against Chase's hold. "Do you know who I work for? I'm Roland Richards' personal assistant!"

The name drop that was meant to intimidate had the opposite effect. Chase slapped the man hard across the face. "And I'm Chase Astor."

The assistant froze, his face draining of color. The name "Astor" clearly carried weight even in his circles.

"A-Astor?" he stammered, his previously aggressive demeanor crumbling. "I... there's been a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Jade stepped forward. "Your boss sent you to harass my friend, and now you're trying to take us somewhere against our will. Sounds like you're trying to do something dirty."

Chase's eyes flashed with anger. He struck the assistant again, then reached into the man's pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Mr. Astor, please," the assistant pleaded, his tone completely transformed. "This is a mistake. My boss is the CEO of Richards Group. You've met him before. Our companies have business together."

Chase ignored him, scrolling through the phone until he found what he was looking for. He hit dial and put it on speaker.

A gruff voice answered after two rings. "How's it going? Did you get them?"

Chase's lips curled into a cold smile. "Hello, Roland."

There was a moment of silence. "Who is this?" Richards demanded.

"Chase Astor. Remember me? Old man Henry's grandson?"

"Astor?" Richards' voice shifted to a more respectful tone. "What are you doing with my assistant's phone?"

"Your assistant and his goons just tried to abduct my friends outside Princeton." Chase's voice was casual, but his eyes were hard. "Not very smart, Roland."

"Mr. Astor, I deeply respect your grandfather, but that doesn't mean you can speak to me this way. Those three people are your friends, huh? Fine, I'll give you this one. Tell them I'll back off—"

"Back off?" Chase laughed. "Save that speech for Ethan Haxton. That girl your men were hassling? She's his dream girl."

Jade sighed heavily. "...You really had to go there."

Richards went silent. H finally remembered. At Philip's birthday party, Ethan had leaned in close enough that people mistook it for an attempted kiss. He'd personally poured her a drink, something he rarely did for anyone.

"A-Astor," Richards finally stammered. "This is a misunderstanding. A terrible misunderstanding."

"If you don't want to die," Chase said cheerfully, "I suggest you go crawling to Haxton on your knees."

The line went dead.

The assistant stood frozen, his face ashen. The name "Ethan Haxton" had clearly short-circuited whatever remaining courage he possessed.

"You should go," Chase said, tossing the phone back to the assistant. "Hurry back and help your pathetic boss prepare for his funeral."

The assistant didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled back to his feet, gesturing frantically for his team to retreat. They practically fell over each other in their haste to escape, piling into their vehicles and speeding away.

Chase turned to Jade with a triumphant grin. "Jade, problem solved! I just handed it over to Ethan Haxton."

"Thanks so much," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey, Haxton's been chasing you, right? He should do something useful. Bankrupting companies, running people out of the country—that's his specialty." Chase seemed genuinely pleased with himself.

Jade cut him off. "Zach, get in the car."

Chase's eyes followed Zach as he walked around to the driver's side. "Can I come with you guys?" he asked Jade, though his eyes remained fixed on Zach as he slid behind the wheel. The admiration in Chase's gaze was painfully obvious.

"We're going to get our nails done and talk about boys," Jade deadpanned. "Not really your scene."

"I'll have you know I give excellent manicure advice," Chase protested, but Jade was already sliding into the passenger seat.

As they pulled away, they could hear the whispers of students who had gathered to watch the confrontation.

"Was that really Jade Morgan in that car?"

"Isn't that the Slavic-looking guy's car? And who were those men? They looked like mobsters."

"Did you hear what Chase said? Mr. Haxton is chasing Jade, and apparently not catching her..."

"Shh! Are you crazy? Don't repeat that!"

"Chase said it, not me..."

Their voices faded as the car turned onto the main road. Zach glanced at Jade. "We're just letting them go?"

She smiled, a cold expression that didn't reach her eyes. "Not quite. Take the next right."

Fifteen minutes later, they were parked on a quiet side street, waiting as Richards' assistant made a frantic phone call from his car.

"No, sir, I swear we're coming right back. Yes, I understand how serious—"

The car door was suddenly yanked open. The assistant looked up in shock to find Jade standing there, with Zach right behind her.

"Out," she ordered.

The assistant's eyes widened in terror. "They're here!" he screamed into the phone before Jade knocked it from his hand.

Zach stepped forward. "Let me handle this."

She shook her head. "These scumbags? I can take care of them with one hand."

And she did. One by one, Jade methodically worked through the two dozen security personnel. Some tried to pull weapons—those ended up in worse shape than the others. By the time she finished, the ground was littered with groaning bodies.

"Feel better now?" she asked Zach, who had simply watched with professional appreciation.

"That old bastard," Zach muttered. "Who knows how many people he's hurt before. If I'd run into him earlier..." He didn't finish the thought, but the dangerous glint in his eyes said enough.

Jade nodded toward the car. "Let's go."

"Where to?" Zach asked as he started the engine.

"Back to school," she replied.