SHAWN’S POV
“Tiffany? Is that you?” He asked to be sure.
“Yes, Shawn, it’s me,” she replied, her voice shaking.
He momentarily removed the phone from his ear and mouthed a low “She is the one,” to the police officers. They give him a signal to put the call on the speaker, of which he did.
“Oh my God, where are you? Are you okay?”
“I… I don’t know. I’ve been kidnapped,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He went silent for a moment, as a sharp jolt of pain hit him. “Don’t worry, I’m going to find you. Just hold on, okay?”
“Okay, please hurry.”
“I will, I promise. Just stay strong.” He replied, and her father made a gesture that he wanted to speak with her. “Your father wants to speak with you.”
There was a sudden shuffling sound and another voice was heard. “If you want to see your little wife alive, then you should do as we would say.” Before he could say a word, the call ended.
“Shit!”
“What do we do? Those people mean business?”
“This is a case of kidnap, from the look of things, they will be asking for a randsome soon.” One of the officers said.
“Fred, come look at this. Nathan just sent the details of the owner of the plate number.” The policeman in front of the computer said, and everyone in the room rushed to stand behind him as they looked into the computer.
On the screen was a photo of a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and a rough appearance, with little beady eyes. The name below the photo read: Giovanni Mulan.
“That’s our guy,” the policeman said. ,”But, unfortunately, he is not the same man as the one on the CCTV footage.”
” Does it matter? Get your team ready and track him down,”Shawn said, impatiently.
The head of the team accepted and assembled his me immediately. As they were about to leave, Shawn indicated his interest.
“I want to come with you.” He said in a determined tone.
“I’m sorry, Mr Gold, you can’t come with us. You are a civilian and we can’t put you in harm’s way.” One of the policemen said.
But Shawn was not having any of it. He insisted, and when they saw how determined he was, they gave him a bulletproof vest to wear beneath his shirt.
With the information provided by Nathan, they were able to track Giovanni to a rundown warehouse on the outskirts of town.
As they stormed the warehouse, Shawn’s heart raced with a mix of fear and adrenaline. He was scared for Tiffany’s safety and prayed she wouldn’t get hurt.
With each room they cleared, His heart sank a little deeper. The men were running Helter Skelter in a bid to escape because engaging in a shootout with the police would be a costly mistake considering the fact that they were outnumbered and the police had more sophisticated ammunition than them.
The minutes felt like hours as they searched every corner of the gloomy, deserted building. Just as desperation started to creep in, they saw two men running out of a corridor hidden Faraway from the outer building. Shawn and the policemen went in hot pursuit of them and soon overcame them.
Curiosity piqued, they decided to check that part of the building because it was hidden. They got to a small door and could hear muffled sobs, quickly they broke down the door and found Tiffany bound, tears streaming down her face. Without hesitation, He rushed to her side and untied her, holding her tightly in his arms.
“It’s over. You’re safe now,” he whispered, his voice filled with relief.
More policemen trooped into the room, and that was when He noticed her blouse was ripped.
“Those Fucking bastards!” He said through gritted teeth, as he took off his shirt and wore it on her. “C’mon, let’s go.” He said, and pulled her up.
As she stood up, he noticed the blood stain on her skirt, and quickly covered her with his body. The policemen noticed what was happening and excused themselves. When they were alone, he took off the bullet proof vest and tied it around her waist.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of these. C’mon, I will carry you on my back.”
She nodded and got on his back and he carried her outside to the waiting car.
TIFFANY’S POV
All the while, as they drove home, everything still felt surreal. She still found it hard to believe that at some point she was almost raped and the next moment, she was rescued and now she was safe and back to her family.
Her father kept casting her sympathetic glances in the car, while Shawn rubbed her shoulder intermittently, assuring her that everything will be fine. They soon arrived home, and Shawn helped her inside to her room.
“Hold on, I will be right back.” He said and exited the room. A few minutes later, he returned with packs of what seemed like bathing salts.
He walked past her into her bathroom, and after what seemed like ages, he came out and asked her to go in.
“I ran you a warm bath and I added some herbal bathing salts that will help relieve you of the aches you might be feeling. Go on.”
She nodded and mouthed a “thank you” before walking Into the bathroom.
She stripped off her clothes and got into the bathtub. As she relaxed in the bath, feeling the weight of the events of the previous day until the moment she was rescued, her eyes welled up with tears. She couldn’t believe how close she had come to such a horrific fate. The thought sent a surge of gratitude toward Shawn and the police who had saved her.
Closing her eyes, she allowed the warmth of the water to soothe her aching body. The herbal body wash released a calming scent, helping to ease her tense muscles and frayed nerves. Shawn has been attentive and caring, but this act of kindness went beyond anything she had ever expected.
As she continued to reminisce, She couldn’t shake the feeling of fear that now hung over her. The incident had left her shaken and weary. The realization that danger was always looming over her made her question how safe she was.
Upon finishing her bath and drying herself off, she wrapped a towel around her body and made her way back to the room. On the bed was a pack of sanitary pads, and on the table a tray of food and a pack of aspirin.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness as she dressed up. Afterward, she walked to the table and that was when she saw the note attached to the meal.
“I hope the bath did its job of soothing you. I thought you would need all of that. Once you are done having breakfast and taking the medication, kindly come downstairs. Be safe.”
She smiled yet again and uncovered the plates of food. There was toasted bread, strawberries, coffee and warm milk. She immediately delved into the meal as she wolfed everything down. Afterward, she took the aspirin before heading downstairs with the tray.
Her father immediately stood up and walked up to her as she ascended the stairs. “Are you okay, Princess? Do you feel better?” He asked worriedly.
“I’m fine. Thank you.” She still doesn’t know how to react to his affection. It was sad she still could not recognize him or anybody else, but no doubt, he loved her dearly.
“Come sit. I will take the dishes to the kitchen. I don’t want you to stress yourself.” Shawn said and took the tray from her.
Her father led her to the couch in the sitting room. “Did they hurt you? By God, those miscreants will pay if they did anything to you.”
“They did not, ummm…one of them might have, but Shawn and the police were there in time to rescue me.” And then her face took on a worried expression. “Who are they and why was I their target? Did they mention who sent them?”
“I’m sorry, princess, I don’t think they were sent by anyone. They are just local criminals who are looking for quick means to make money.”
“I don’t think so.” By then, Shawn had joined them. “One of them mentioned that someone asked them to do something horrible to me, but after running a background check they realized they could make money off me. I think someone is behind all of these.”
“Are you serious? They said that?”
“Yes. Come to think of it, why was I the target of all the people in the supermarket? Remember, they were not aware of my identity until I was taken and then they did a background check on me. First, a girl pushed me down the rooftop in school and it led to me memory loss. It’s barely a month and I got kidnapped. I think I’m in danger and I’m curious to know why.”
“We have to report this to the police. This should help them investigate those men further.” Shawn suggested.
“I second that. Let’s call them right away.” Mr Dion said and Shawn took out his phone and placed a call.