Chapter 177 You Must Believe Me
Adeline sprang from the couch. "Kidnapped?"
"Yes." Alice's voice quivered with the threat of tears. "I've already called Mr. Jasper; he should be on his way. Should we head over?
"The preschool teacher said they were playing a game with the other kids when suddenly a car pulled up, and men in black just grabbed them and took off. It all happened so fast that the teachers didn't even have time to react."
Adeline bit her lip. "I'm going there now!"
With that, she leaped out of bed, grabbed her jacket, and made a beeline for the door.
Violet paused. "Where are you headed?"
"Lauren and Bennett have been kidnapped." Adeline was lacing up her shoes, urgency clear in her tone.
Violet, with a jolt of alarm, grabbed her coat and followed her out. "What happened?"
With her mind in turmoil, Adeline couldn't muster an explanation; she just hurried downstairs.
"Wait, I'll drive us." Violet sighed. "It's hard to hail a cab right now; it's safer if I drive."
Only then did Adeline breathe a sigh of relief and climb into Violet's car.
Sitting in the back, her thoughts were in chaos.
"Mommy."
Suddenly, her son Blake's voice came from the necklace around her neck.
Adeline froze, then clutched the necklace tightly. "Blake, do you have any news about them?"
"Yes." The little guy took a deep breath, his voice steady. "Right after they were taken from preschool, Bennett used his necklace to call me. I tracked them to a vehicle circling the outskirts of Denver. But just when I tried to tap into their situation, the signal cut out."
On the other end of the line, the boy's pale fingers danced across the keyboard. "I found the van using the city's road surveillance—a white van."
Adeline's heart leaped to her throat. "Are they still circling Denver?"
"They are still on the move." Blake took another deep breath. "I did some checking. The van's registered in Denver but came from Las Vegas. Did Jasper cross someone in Las Vegas?"
Adeline's grip on the necklace tightened.
Las Vegas was her hometown.
She had met Jasper by chance when he went there to expand his business.
And so, she knew his Las Vegas connections all too well.
As far as she could remember, Jasper hadn't offended anyone there.
The only person he might have offended was the Moore family.
She wondered if their marriage had provoked them. The thought of it was highly unlikely.
"They've made another loop around the outer beltway."
Adeline snapped back to the present. "How far are they from me?"
Blake's voice hesitated on the other end of the line. "They're... very close to your location."
Adeline made a split-second decision. "Violet, head for the outer beltway nearest us!"
Violet paused for a moment, then took a sharp turn, steering toward the outer beltway.
"Mommy, keep calm!" Adeline's choice made Blake, who was usually the epitome of composure, gasp. "They're all in black, you and Violet shouldn't chase after them! Even if you catch up, there's nothing you can do to save them!"
Adeline bit her lip hard.
Watching the car merge onto the outer beltway, she took a deep breath. "I'll get in touch with Tim and Tom now."
Blake closed his eyes in resignation.
Tim and Tom.
As much as he hated to admit it, Bennett's two sidekicks were indeed strong and capable. They were roughnecks, after all.
However, there were only two of them.
On the high-speed outer beltway, these two brutes had no chance of stopping that group of thugs.
If they couldn't stop them in the first try, taking action afterward would be much harder.
At this moment, the only person Blake could think of with the strength, skill, and guts to handle this was that man.
He closed his eyes.
Adeline had made her stance clear; she'd rather rely on Tim and Tom than turn to Jasper.
However, lives were at stake.
Blake took a deep breath, pulled out a USB stick with an external IP he'd prepared, inserted it into his computer, and covertly signaled Jasper.
Meanwhile, Jasper was with a group of men in a car outside the kindergarten, trying to pinpoint the direction the other vehicles had gone.
"Sir, it's a fair assumption they've headed onto the outer beltway's ring road. But they've been on the ring road for half an hour now, so their current location is anyone's guess..."
Jasper rubbed his forehead with slight frustration.
He had always intended to install trackers on Bennett and Lauren.
However, he feared the kids would feel spied upon and that their freedom had been infringed, so he hesitated.
Now, facing such an unexpected situation, his regret was profound.
If they had trackers, at least he wouldn't feel so utterly helpless.
Just as he was at his wit's end, his phone rang.
It was a virtual number from the internet.
Staring at that string of unfamiliar digits, he paused, but ultimately answered the call. "Who is this?"
"Mr. Jasper." The voice on the other end was electronically distorted. "Your kids are in a white van right now, making rounds on the beltway.
"Violet and Adeline are already on the chase, but I fear they might not only fail to rescue them but also make things worse. You need to get there now. There's still a chance..."
The voice on the phone made Jasper furrow his brows tightly.
He gripped the cellphone firmly. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"You have to trust me." The voice, though electronically altered, was unwavering. "Do you have any other option right now? I can't pinpoint their location, but I've tracked them before."
Jasper scowled deeply, gesturing to Ryan while still on the call, then immediately opened the car door and got in, "Who are you?"
"When the time comes to meet, we'll meet."
The voice remained calm. "Keep your phone on. I'll be in touch."
With that, the call ended abruptly.
Jasper took a deep breath, tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, and started the car.
Ryan hurriedly led his team to follow him.
When Jasper arrived at the circular highway following the mysterious caller's directions, sure enough, he saw the white van making rounds.
Behind the white van, unmistakably, was Violet's car.
"Sir, how did Doctor Wood get the news before we did?"
From the car behind, Ryan asked in astonishment through the walkie-talkie.
Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly.
That was something he wanted to know too.
The mysterious caller had dialed him while Adeline and Violet were already in pursuit. This meant the stranger was more closely connected to Adeline. Adeline definitely knew who the mysterious person was.
However, now wasn't the time to ponder these questions.
He inhaled deeply and spoke seriously into the walkie-talkie, "Ryan, prepare to chase. At the next intersection, force that van off the beltway!"
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