Chapter 43 Matthew, Thank You
The three kidnappers had bought a carload of food and supplies for their escape. Having parked the car, they pushed open the door, "Damn it! Michael, The kids are gone!" the tattooed man moved aside just as two other men came in, looking toward the window and the stool underneath, guessing the kids had escaped that way.
"What do we do now?" asked another henchman.
Michael, the tattooed man, waved his hand dismissively, "Let’s go. Split up and search. There's not a soul around here. They can't have gone far. We weren't away for long." The three of them turned and left to start searching.
Quentin and Hannah were hiding in a well, sensing that someone was approaching. The sound of footsteps drew nearer, causing the siblings to cling to each other tightly with tension. They both understood that if they were caught and taken back, the odds were against them, and it was very likely they wouldn't see their mom again.
Quentin held his younger sister close, silently comforting her.
Michael did get close to the dry well. Fortunately, Quentin had used some dry grass and branches to conceal their hiding spot. It was dark, and the man couldn't see very clearly, but as he approached with an iron rod, a ringing phone halted him.
He stopped and pulled out his phone. It was one of his underlings who was calling. "Did you find them?" asked Michael.
The voice of the underling on the other end was urgent, "No, Michael, we've got trouble. It's not just the police hunting us now; Victor has also stepped in. We should get going, and it'll be too late soon."
"That damn woman, daring to betray us," he instructed his subordinate. "Call James and pack up quickly. I'll be right over. I'm going to call that bitch and get the money."
Ending the call, the tattooed man immediately dialed Brianna.
"Damn, woman, where's the money?"
"I can't come up with that much so quickly, only one million. Where are the kids?"
"They ran off!"
“What?!” Brianna exclaimed in shock, unable to fathom how two captives had escaped, "You botch the job and can't even keep an eye on two kids. Where did you get the nerve to ask me for money?”
“Damn bitch, who knew you'd gotten yourself into trouble? You want to get us thrown in jail, right? Now, the entire police force of Horizon City is after us, and even Victor is involved. Let me tell you, we're on the run now. Transfer five million immediately, not a cent less. If any of us get caught, you won't have an easy time either. Remember, we're all in the same boat here; if it goes down, everyone goes down. If we get caught, I'll spill all your dirty secrets and make sure you end up in there with us!" After his threat, Michael hung up and returned to his underlings.
Quentin, overhearing the phone conversation, realized that their abduction wasn't a simple case of being taken by human traffickers. Someone had paid to have them kidnapped. He couldn't understand. They had only traveled to Horizon for a couple of days, and there was someone who wanted to kidnap them.
They didn't dare to emerge yet, unsure of the situation outside. It seemed like the men were planning their escape.
Brianna hung up the phone, frantic as ants on a hot pan. The deal had fallen through, the person had disappeared, and it sounded like Victor had intervened. Could Matthew have been secretly helping? Did he know that Madison's two kids were his children? No matter what, she had to gather the 5 million dollars to pay off the reckless crew, or she'd get dragged into this mess. She'd be finished if Matthew ever found out she was behind it all.
*
Matthew hadn't received any news from Victor by nearly 5 P.M. Thinking of Madison's tear-stained, red-rimmed eyes. He called Victor himself, "Victor, any updates?"
"Matthew, I've just uncovered some information on them and their hideouts. I was about to call you."
"Who are they?" Matthew couldn't figure it out. If it had taken Victor this long to find them, it meant they weren't ordinary human traffickers. That left only one possibility of kidnapping. But why would Madison cross paths with such people that her children would be kidnapped? He was baffled.
"They're some reckless outlaws with criminal records. Whose kids are they, and how did they get crossed with these people?"
Victor was curious. Among their acquaintances, nobody had kids, so for Matthew to be this desperate, risking exposure and even mobilizing their network of international mercenaries and hackers, it had to be a serious matter to track this information and location in such a short time.
"They're Madison's kids," Matthew replied after a moment of silence.
"Madison's kids? She got married and had kids?" Victor was taken aback, almost blurting out in shock that the kids were even that old.
"Yeah." Matthew, in a sour mood, was about to end the call now that they'd been found.
"Wait, send me the location," he remembered, needing to notify Madison.
Matthew called Madison, providing the confirmed news and the address. She could go there. Otherwise, Victor would ensure the kids were returned.
Upon receiving Matthew's call, Madison finally felt a sense of relief settle in.
"Matthew, thank you," she genuinely expressed her gratitude, knowing that without him, they wouldn't have found Quentin and Hannah so quickly, and she might have lost her children.
Matthew remained silent and did not hang up the phone. The two of them stayed there in silence.
"You’re welcome." With those last abrupt words, Matthew ended the call.
Upon receiving the message, Madison and Nicholas immediately drove out, following the address provided by Matthew. They arrived at the cabin where Matthew and Hannah were held captive. Victor happened to be coming out of the cabin when Madison rushed in.
"Madison, you're here, I'm sorry; by the time we arrived, the kidnappers had fled, but I've arranged for our people to chase down their car partway. According to what they told us, the kids weren't in the vehicle. They went out to buy something, and the two kids escaped."
Hearing that the children weren't there, Madison felt like falling from heaven straight into hell. Her whole body leaned back, and she nearly fainted, but Nicholas was right behind her to catch her before she hit the ground.
Realizing the situation was severe, Victor also sent a message to Matthew. Hearing that the children were missing and Madison nearly fainted, Matthew immediately grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.
"Madison, don’t worry. If they managed to escape from the kidnappers on their own, they must be safe. I'm arranging a sweep of the area right now. We're bound to find them," Victor tried to reassure her.
Hearing this, Madison mustered her energy. That’s right, Quentin was so brilliant. He must be all right. She ran outside, calling the names of the two individuals as she went.
Quentin and Hannah were in a well, exhausted from hunger. "Hannah, wake up. I think I hear Mom's voice. Listen!"
Hannah woke up and listened carefully, "It's Mom, Quentin! It is Mom, she’s found us!"
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