“We found it” Adrian shouted, his voice laced with excitement as he stared at the screen. “It’s on the outskirts of the city”
“They left a lot of prints on most routes which shows they’ve been running for a while but strangely, they’re moving so slow” William explained further, his fingers tapping endlessly on the keys. “There must be something stopping them from advancing further”
“What could that be?” Rachael asked curiously, her head touching William as she seemed to have forgotten for a moment, the fight they had the previous night. “Find it”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do” William uttered, his voice carrying a hint of frustration. “The jam in that area is proof of how crowded it is… It must be a large group of people like them… Adrian, check what the location says”
“Alright,” Adrian replied in a low voice as he checked the digital map on the tab he was holding. After a few seconds, he responded. “It’s called the Shadow brook. It’s a deserted place where no one visits, not even the police. It’s mainly a lair where kidnappers gather together from the cities for meetings, I guess”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” William remarked. “Now, I just need to keep them tagged, so they don’t escape”
“Well, now that we’ve gotten their location, what’s next?” Rachael asked, glancing at William and Adrian who both had a blank expression on their faces. “We’re not going there without a plan, are we?”
“No, we’re not. We’re raiding the place tonight” Liam who had been quiet this whole time uttered with a cold voice that sent shivers down the spine of everyone present in that room. He shifted his gaze to William and said. “Tell your father I need twenty men from his elite squad.. I’ll return them later.”
“Why does it sound like you are asking for items and not humans?” Rachael asked with a shocked expression on her face, her voice laced with confusion. “What squads anyway?”
Rachael felt embarrassed that her questions were ignored. It seems the three men in the room understood what was happening while she was left to wallow in her ignorance.
“Rachael” Liam called out to her, his voice stern and his gaze serious as he spoke to her, saying “You won’t be coming with us on this one. You have to go home”
“Why?” She stubbornly asked, ready to argue with anyone who spoke first.
“What we are about to embark on is not something that entails a peaceful negotiation, it’s going to get bloody” Liam explained, shedding a little light on the matter.
“So, you’re leaving me here because you think I can’t defend myself?” Rachael probed further.
“Yes, it’s good you understand” Liam nodded in satisfaction as he made to pick up the call that rang through his phone. His expression lit up in excitement as he turned to Adrian who was already wondering about his boss’s reaction.
“Rachael, you can’t come with us, I need you to do something for me” Liam spoke to her again, his tone laced with urgency. “I’m quite sure you know about the lady your boss placed as a spy in my house, right?”
Rachael’s cheeks turned pink. “Yes, I remember, but she was on the brink of death when I heard about her from my boss”
“Good. I’m doing this because I want to trust you” Liam said, his voice laced with warning. “I want you to go to Xavier General Hospital, the doctor said she would be waking up an hour later. I want you to go to her since she recognizes you… I want you to try and convince her to open up to you about the person responsible for her accident”
“Wait. You mean she can still survive?..” Rachael asked, her mouth agape in disbelief. “Wow! That’s crazy. I can do that for you in exchange for this… But it’s going to be difficult.”
“I’m entrusting it to you. Make sure she’s ready to confess by the time I’m back” Liam uttered with a sharp gaze. “Don’t mess this up”
“You should also come back alive” Rachael countered. They were only going to get information about Isabelle’s captors and there was already going to be bloodshed. What if the time to save her finally comes?.. how bad will it be?
“Mr. Callahan, the men are here” Adrian disclosed to his boss when he saw a black van parked outside. “We should leave”
****
“Spencer.. you do know you’re playing with fire, right?” A rough baritone voice resonated through the shabby room which was so silent that even a drop of pin could be heard, despite the large number of people present in it. “Spencer, I’ll ask you one more time, where is the money?”
“My lord, I have no money with me. I already gave you the right percentage from the money we made, I don’t have any cash remaining.” Spencer who was kneeling next to his partners uttered with a bow, his gaze unwavering as he had made up his mind not to let the greedy people get the rest of the money he had left for him and his partner to share”
“Do you think you can fool me?… I had my men watching you closely” the man uttered, his voice laced with a hint of disdain. “You thought you could deceive me. I was in this business before you were born”
” I know that, boss and we respect you for that” Spencer replied with a fake sincerity in his voice. “We have no money left”
The man who seemed to be the leader signaled to one of his strong-built men who moved forward and searched Raven who was shaking in fear.
“Are you sure?” He asked them again, his voice laced with threat as his men pointed a pistol at Raven’s head. “I’m quite sure you don’t want to lose in two ways right?.. your money or your friend’s life?.. pick one”
As Spencer hesitated, the man cocked the gun and forced it into Raven’s mind, making him curse. His sister wasn’t in any way helpful. “I’ll give you the money you want just let the guy go”
Spencer hesitantly brought out the money they had left aside and threw it to the ground.
“There, that’s your money. Now, let him go” he yelled out, his eyes reddened with rage.