Hearing Black Hawk’s voice, Caitlin’s expression stiffened, her heart leaping into her throat. If Black Hawk managed to escape the apartment building, did that mean Sebastian had been injured?
“Move!”
Black Hawk threatened again, his other hand pressing the tip of a dagger against her waist. Caitlin forced herself to stay calm and could only drive the car.
Sebastian had already seen Black Hawk getting into a car from the window above. As soon as he ran down from the apartment building, he saw the car pull away and immediately began chasing after it, but two legs couldn’t outrun four wheels. He could only watch helplessly as Black Hawk took Caitlin. Sebastian was on the verge of a breakdown. If he had known this would happen, he should have kept her by his side, but now he had inadvertently put her in danger.
Desperate, he contacted Tyler and the others, urging them to hurry, when Felix’s police car arrived.
“Mr. Vanderbilt!”
“Felix, you’re just in time!”
Sebastian opened the car door and climbed in, shouting to the officer driving, “Quick! Catch up to my car ahead! The killer might have kidnapped Caitlin!”
With urgency, Sebastian relayed everything that had happened. Felix immediately contacted the traffic team for support.
* * *
Caitlin, under Black Hawk’s threat, drove Sebastian’s car, speeding down the road.
When they hit a red light, Black Hawk wouldn’t allow her to stop. She had no choice but to keep driving at the speed he dictated.
Although she had a weapon pointed at her, Caitlin wasn’t as scared as she thought she would be. Instead, she managed to stay calm and began thinking of a way to escape.
Seeing Caitlin deliberately slow down, Black Hawk sneered, “Don’t try any tricks!”
To make sure Caitlin obeyed, Black Hawk injected a syringe into her arm.
“Ah…”
Caitlin winced in pain, her arm recoiling slightly, causing the car to swerve dangerously, almost hitting the barrier beside them.
“What did you inject me with?” Caitlin struggled to hold onto the steering wheel, asking.
“Midazolam. It’ll help you stay calm.”
“You’re crazy!”
Caitlin’s heart raced. Midazolam was a strong sedative, often used for calming or hypnosis, and now this madman had injected it into her while she was driving!
“I can’t drive anymore…”
Soon, Caitlin felt the drug taking effect. Her hands were losing control, and her vision blurred. The car was swerving uncontrollably. If things kept going like this, she would crash in a matter of minutes.
Just then, they arrived at the place Black Hawk had requested. He suddenly ordered, “Pull over!”
Caitlin struggled to obey, but her foot was no longer responsive. It took all her strength to bring the car to a halt.
Looking ahead, everything was a blur, and her consciousness was fading fast.
The car was parked next to another vehicle. Black Hawk dragged Caitlin out of Sebastian’s car and shoved her into the trunk of a different one. The car then sped off.
* * *
Not long after, police cars following the vehicle’s track successfully located Sebastian’s car.
“That’s my car! It’s on the side of the road!”
Sebastian and Felix got out of their cars and approached. They found the vehicle empty.
Opening the door, Sebastian discovered Caitlin’s bag and the phone he had given her lying inside.
Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat. “Caitlin has definitely been kidnapped! The bastard switched cars here and took her!”
Felix checked the other side and found an abandoned syringe under the seat. He read the label aloud, “Midazolam!”
“A sedative?”
Sebastian, having been injected with it himself, knew exactly what it was.
“Yes! It’s a sedative! He probably injected it into Caitlin!”
“Damn it!”
Sebastian punched the car angrily but quickly got back into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He had to keep pursuing.
Sebastian drove off, with Felix and the others following quickly behind.
The road surveillance was still active, tracking vehicles from that time period. The traffic department identified a black Audi that seemed suspicious.
The car had deliberately covered its license plate and was heading towards an abandoned industrial area.
Sebastian and Felix exchanged information and raced towards the location.
* * *
The abandoned industrial area.
The black Audi pulled into the area, and Black Hawk dragged the unconscious Caitlin from the trunk into an old factory.
This factory used to be a textile company, and it was now filled with heaps of discarded fabrics.
Black Hawk tossed Caitlin onto the ground.
At that moment, Caitlin still had a sliver of consciousness. Her head was heavy, and she could see Black Hawk pacing around, the strong smell of gasoline in the air.
It seemed Black Hawk had doused the area with gasoline.
“What are you doing?” Caitlin weakly asked.
Black Hawk dropped the gas can in his hand and turned to face her, looking down coldly. “Caitlin, do you know how perfectly I carried out my mission?
“Your appearance ruined everything.”
Many years ago, Black Hawk had handled Kelly’s case cleanly, erasing all evidence and warning anyone involved. No loose ends remained.
But Caitlin’s return had broken all of that, forcing him to act once more.
From his words, it was clear that Black Hawk was a compulsive killer, someone who had to make sure every mission was perfectly executed.
“You’ve killed so many people… Doesn’t your conscience hurt?” Caitlin asked.
“Didn’t you realize? Those people died because of you! It was you who killed them! If you hadn’t kept digging, they wouldn’t have died!”
“You’re insane!” Caitlin spat with disgust.
“Heh, you dare to provoke me when you know my temper?”
“Now Sebastian is trying to kill me, so I’ll give him a special gift!”
“I’ll let him see what it’s like to have his precious woman consumed by fire.”
Everything Black Hawk was doing now was out of revenge against Sebastian for interfering in his business.
If he wanted to escape from their pursuit, the best way was to use Caitlin. He would distract them with a fire and make them too busy to catch him!
Caitlin tried to get up, but she had no strength left.
Black Hawk pulled out a lighter and prepared to set the place on fire, his eyes lingering on Caitlin’s beautiful face. He crouched down and lightly touched her cheek. “Such a beautiful face. It’d be a shame to burn it off.”
Caitlin still tried to ask, “Why… even if I die, let me die knowing the truth… Why stop me from investigating?”
“No comment!”
Black Hawk stood up, his expression cold. “I can only tell you that the more you know, the faster you’ll die.”
“My mother… Where is she?” Caitlin could only think of one thing-her mother’s whereabouts.
“Maybe you should ask the King of Hell,” Black Hawk sneered as he walked toward the door.
After leaving, he tossed the lighter onto the ground.
The gasoline on the floor caught fire instantly and spread rapidly.
The entire area was engulfed in flames, surrounding Caitlin.
The fire reminded her of the fire from five years ago. She had a deep fear of it, and even after all these years, she couldn’t overcome that terror.
Now, once again trapped in a sea of flames, Caitlin felt as if she were reliving the painful burn.
But even so, she refused to give up.
She wanted to live!
Her nails dug into the ground as she tried to move, but the sedative had taken full effect, leaving her paralyzed.
Looking at the raging flames, despair crept into her heart. Was this the end? Was she destined to die here?