Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Calling for Help
Not knowing how much time passed, Richard Zander slowly opened his eyes when there was no more noise outside. He looked nervously around, clutching the steering wheel, until he confirmed no one was coming.
"Hello... is this 110? I need to report a crime..."
...
A black van sped along the overpass, carrying a few men. The man in the passenger seat, Tiger, wore a grim expression. After much thought, he spoke up hesitantly, "Shouldn’t we have tied up that driver as well? What if he reports it to the police?"
"Relax, the surveillance near the hospital entrance has long been taken out. The cops won’t catch up," the skinny driver reassured him with a wave of his hand.
Tiger finally relaxed a bit after hearing this, slumping back against the seat. They had staked out the hospital for a day and a night, and had finally managed to capture Elliana Lyle.
At this moment, Elliana lay quietly in the trunk, her brows furrowed slightly, as if she was on the verge of waking up.
"..."
Pain... foot pain...
The car windows were open, the wind blowing loudly, which caused her to sit up, unnoticed by anyone.
Looking at the people talking in the back seat, her eyes slowly widened in realization, and she quickly lowered her head.
Had she been kidnapped...?
Cellphone!
She felt all over her body, only to realize her phone wasn’t with her; all she had left was the bracelet on her wrist.
It was a couple’s bracelet she had insisted on buying back then, not much use, displaying the time and lighting up when tapped twice.
She hadn’t been wearing it usually, but had put it on before leaving.
Trying to tap a nine-signal, she didn’t know if Norman Bennett had his bracelet on, nor if he would understand her message.
After doing this, she looked at the trunk door, unsure of what to do next.
"Damn, this woman is awake!"
...
――― At the hospital entrance.
"Open the door! I need to check the surveillance tapes." Hannah Collins suddenly slapped the glass, startling the young nurse at the window.
On the ground lay a security guard beaten to the point he couldn’t stand up.
Just moments ago, the security guard tried to drag Hannah away, but a few guards were subdued by her in quick moves.
"You have no authority to check our surveillance! I’ve already called the police!" The young nurse, a bit scared, spoke feebly.
Hannah ruffled her hair, suppressing her urgent anger, "My friend was kidnapped at your hospital entrance! I’m just checking surveillance! Open the door!"
"I’m telling you! I’ve already called the police! If you don’t leave now, when the cops arrive, you’ll be headed straight to jail!"
As it was nighttime, there weren’t many people in the hospital. In the empty lobby on the first floor, only a front desk nurse and four security guards were present.
But the glass at the window was high-grade bulletproof glass. The young nurse was sure Hannah wouldn’t get in, yet she still shrank back to the corner in fear.
"Damn it!" Hannah, with a fiery temper, paced back and forth, touching the back of her head, before suddenly recalling something. She immediately dashed outside.
She got into her car, checking the dashcam, which had recorded everything that happened, including that distinct license plate.
Hannah knew the police procedures all too well, that they would first come to the hospital to check surveillance and gather information. By then, Elliana might not even be alive.
So she grabbed her phone and called a college friend from the Traffic Bureau: "Hey, Zhao Er Gou, help me access the traffic surveillance."
"Why? We’re not supposed to do that," Zhao Er Gou joked as he commuted home after work.
Hannah impatiently said, "Stop joking around, just do it. License plate South A7004, Prosperity Road."
Hearing Hannah’s tone, Zhao Er Gou realized this was no joking matter, especially knowing Hannah’s background, it meant something major had happened that required surveillance investigation.
"Alright. Right away."
Hanging up, Hannah quickly called her squad, gathering a few teammates. According to Zhao Er Gou’s findings, the black van that kidnapped Elliana had last disappeared on the South Suburb Highway.
The next day.
The morning dew dripped from the tips of grass onto the dust, instantly seeping into the soil, leaving only damp marks behind.
A black van pulled up in front of an abandoned factory, several men and an unconscious Elliana got out of the vehicle.
"Let’s go!"
A man carried Elliana like a sack over his shoulder, and they all entered the abandoned factory together.
...
When Elliana awoke, she found herself tied to a chair, unable to move.
Squinting at her surroundings, she seemed to see a figure standing in front of her, blurry.
She blinked her eyes, finally recognizing the person before her — Shane Southwell!
"Awake?" His voice was indifferent, yet abnormally hateful.
"..."
"Miss Lyle, the big star, even you have fallen into my hands," Shane taunted.
The hatred in his eyes was terrifying. He despised the woman before him. If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have been beaten by Norman Bennett’s men to the brink of paralysis, nor would he have been facing deportation.
Everything started with Elliana coming to Northleigh Town, conspiring against him with Norman Bennett!
"..." Elliana said nothing, unsure of what to say. She had never expected Shane to find someone to kidnap her, but this was something he would do.
"You know? I’m leaving the country," Shane smirked, a smile that appeared devilish to Elliana.
Shane was capable of anything, potentially even killing her. Her heart trembled violently; she had seen Shane kill before and wasn’t sure if this would be her end here.
"Leaving the country? That’s good," Elliana replied, as if in regular conversation, perhaps because of their three-year connection from before. It wasn’t difficult to talk to him.
"Good, my ass! Do you know why I’m leaving? It’s all because of you! Because of Norman Bennett! What about the money you promised me? Huh? You dare play games with me?"
"..."
"Not speaking? Haha! I don’t hate you so much now. Is your mom dead? Falling off the overpass, she should be cold by now, huh?"
A vicious laugh echoed, dragging out long, like a demon wielding a bloody fork.
Elliana’s eyes turned bloodshot, as if all her blood rushed to her head. Biting her lip, she didn’t speak, only glaring at Shane.
Seeing her silence, Shane put on a mock sympathetic expression, "Elliana, did you know? Back then, I almost didn’t have enough time to find someone to run your mom off the overpass."
In his effort to catch Elliana, he expended significant manpower and resources, but ultimately, he had succeeded in luring her into his trap.
"Shane Southwell! Why do you have to do this to me? How did I wrong you? Why did you have George Lyle kill my parents! How did they offend you?" Elliana cried, accusing this devil with all her strength. At this moment, it felt like she was back in her past life.
"What?" Shane was puzzled, unaware of what Elliana was talking about. When had he ever had George kill her parents?
Although he did hear about Elliana’s mother’s car accident in July, it was indeed leaked by Adrian Young and Jiang Feng under George’s direction.
Those two had been on his payroll for a long time, though he hadn’t expected Adrian and Jiang to still conceal things from him.
"Shane! Shane, you will die a horrible death―――!!" Elliana struggled twice, causing the chair legs to creak.
Hearing her words, Shane swapped his grave expression for a sneer, pulling a gun from his waistband and pressing it against her forehead.
"Then let’s see who dies a horrible death!"
The cold gun muzzle threatened to pierce her head in the next moment. She fell silent, realizing she couldn’t die like this!
She didn’t know if she’d have a next life.
After calming down, she asked, "Shane, what do you want?"
She knew, Shane wouldn’t have wasted so much time talking to her if he intended to kill her immediately. He clearly had a reason to keep her alive.
"What do you think I want?" Shane chuckled.
"..." Elliana quietly looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
As expected, Shane lowered the gun. Elliana’s calm demeanor bored him, "With you in my hands, what can’t I demand from him?"
Upon hearing this, she instantly realized that Shane had captured her to threaten Norman Bennett!
What a disgraceful act!
Then Shane waved his hand and instructed the men standing aside, "Alright, take her away and have fun. Remember to record a video and send it to Norman Bennett."