Chapter 231 Kidnapped
Caroline couldn't find the kids anywhere. Their spot was secluded and just out of the camera's reach, which raised suspicion when only a van seemed out of place. With other people's assistance, it was all they had to go on with.
When Sophia got the news, her legs buckled, and her mind was buzzing, struggling to process.
Seconds passed before she regained her voice, tightly controlling her emotions.
"Did you call the police?"
"Yes, they're on it, searching everywhere."
"Where are you?"
"I'm still looking around the lake."
After the call, Sophia, who was about to enter an elevator, turned and sprinted out. She took a nasty fall down the steps.
“Sophia!” Jake spotted the fallen figure from afar, hurried over, and helped her up, noticing her pale complexion.
"What happened?"
Sophia's voice trembled, "The kids are missing, I need to find them."
Jake's expression turned grave. "I'll come with you."
Sophia had scraped her knee and hand, but she could hardly care about that now. The kids couldn't just vanish for no reason; and even if they'd wandered off, their phones would be reachable.
On her way to meet up with Caroline, Sophia found her mind racing with countless thoughts.
The night was pitch-black, it made searching for someone all the more inconvenient.
Half an hour later, Sophia slumped against a wall, drained.
"I need to find Gabriel," she muttered to herself. "They're his kids. Gabriel won't ignore this. He has to be able to find them."
Just as she was about to call Gabriel, Ethan sent her a text message.
Sophia read it and exclaimed with a surge of excitement, "They're at South Ridge Hills!"
Jake said, "Caroline, you go to the police. Kelly and I will head to South Ridge Hills first."
"Okay," Caroline quickly went to find an officer.
Sophia got in the car with Jake, who drove swiftly, skillfully navigating through several shortcuts and dodging red lights to reach South Ridge Hills.
Ten minutes later, the Lancaster estate's alarm blared. Madam Lancaster swiftly realized it was Sam's SOS signal. She nearly fainted in a panic and urged Betty to urgently inform Gabriel.
Gabriel was working late at the office. Betty's call hit him like a blizzard rushing in, his calm demeanor giving way to a stormy urgency.
He immediately called Alex, "Gather all the security guards and head to South Ridge Hills. Sam has been kidnapped!"
As Gabriel made his way out, he made another urgent phone call.
"Chief Marshall, this is Gabriel..."
In an instant, the city's law enforcement was mobilized. Vehicles cleared the path to South Ridge Hills, the red lights all turned green, and a cavalcade rushed toward the destination.
South Ridge Hills, an undeveloped mountain range, was where many locals buried their ancestors, resulting in numerous graves dotting the lower slopes, giving it a somber and eerie vibe.
With a mountain so vast and without a specific location, finding the kidnappers would be tough. Sophia was uncertain where the criminals could have taken the kids, especially with so many caves around. 'Although wildlife was sparse, the risk of encountering snakes was still high. What if the children ran into one?' Sophia was very worried.
"Don't worry, we'll go this way."
"How do you know it's this side?" Sophia asked, trying to keep her composure.
"Even though there are footprints on both paths, there are more on this one. Certainly, the other is meant to mislead us."
Jake seemed familiar with the area, but Sophia wasn't in the mindset to ask questions. Her only focus was to find the kids as soon as possible, not knowing why they were taken or what might be done to them.
Ethan was the first regain consciousness, the last thing he remembered were the looming shadows of three burly men appearing behind them while they were playing games. Before any of them could react, darkness had swallowed them whole.
Now, blindfolded, his wrists and ankles bound, and his mouth gagged, he had no idea of the fate that had befallen Sam and Emma.
Pushing down the rising panic, Ethan fought to keep a level head. Fumbling, he managed to activate his smartwatch and, relying on muscle memory, sent a location pin to his mom.
Sam was the next to wake and quickly realized they'd been kidnapped. His dad had previously prepared him by simulating abduction scenarios before. The rule was simple; send a distress signal and make it quick. His left wrist bore a child's digital watch, a gift from his dad equipped with a tracking device. One signal from him, and his dad could be on their trail in no time.
Muffled voices of the kidnappers drifted in from not too far away.
"What are you waiting for, do it already!" one snarled.
"I don't know... offing kids this young... Maybe we should just drop them in a cave, let nature take its course," another hesitated.
"A cave? What if they survive? How will we explain that to the boss?"
"But..."
"Cut the chatter! Just stab them a few times and dump them in a cave. By the time their parents find them, they'll be nothing but rat food."
"Boss, let me get some liquid courage first."
"Coward!"
Sam and Ethan's faces blanched at the conversation. They were planning to murder them!
Sweat coated Sam's face as he finally wrenched off his watch. Using a hidden blade within, he began sawing at the ropes.
Ethan was also attempting to wriggle free, seeking something sharp to cut the ropes. The ground was damp, his back against a tree, and the grass that was all around offered no solace.
The kidnappers glanced over casually, dismissing Ethan's struggles as the final futile twitches before death. What chance did three five-year-olds have?
Focused, Sam sliced through the ropes. Within a minute, he was free. He ripped the blindfold off and surveyed the scene. Ethan was still writhing his way out of the bonds. Emma had just woken up. Tears and muffled cries filled the air.
Sam's heart ached.
Underestimating the children, the kidnappers had believed disposing of them would be child's play. Seizing the moment of their inattention, Sam cut through the bonds on his feet and moved to rescue Emma.
Just then, one of the kidnappers spotted him.
Meanwhile, Jake and Sophia were ascending a rugged slope. Sophia's face had been scratched by a thorn, but she paid no mind and continued her climb. At last, they spotted a glimmer of light ahead, and the faint sounds of conversation and children's cries grew clearer.
Sophia's heart tightened.
"It's them!" She was about to rush forward when Jake held her back.
"Hold on," he said. "I’ll scope out the scene from the right. You wait a minute, then advance from the left and see if you can get the kids."
Sophia nodded emphatically.
She waited, counting the seconds. After a minute, seeing Jake nearing the kidnappers' position, she started to climb up from the left.
Midway, she found a stick and quietly made her way up. One kidnapper was watching the three kids. The other three were tangled up in a fight with Jake.
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