It was Mary, calling him. He answered the phone. "Honey! Where are you? I've been trying to call you for hours."Eric's heart sank. He knew he hadn't been answering her calls, but he hadn't realized just how many she'd been making. "I've been busy," he said, his voice was cracking."What do you mean busy?"“Office work…”“You've not gone to pick Claire up? It's late, Eric.” Eric paused, his mind racing. He couldn't tell her the truth. He didn't want to put her in any worry. “Well, she's here with me.” Eric lied.“Oh my dear Claire. I hope you got her something to eat. Can I speak with her?”“She… She is not… right here with me.”“What do you mean not right here with you?” Mary's voice was now full of fear. "What's happening?”“I mean she is out with James and Gregor. They went to get her something to eat.”“Okay, then. That's fine.” Mary said, and then asked, “Are you alright? Your voice sounds tense.”"I'm fine," he said, trying to sound brave. "Just a little stressed out, that's al
Mary on the other hand received a message from an unknown number telling her that he found her daughter in the middle of nowhere around the outskirts of the city, and is bringing her home.She was confused because Eric told her that Claire was with James and Gregor, and the way he had said it she didn't believe him now.Mary picked up her phone and called Eric immediately.“Where exactly is Claire, Eric? Tell me what's going on?”Eric didn’t know how he was going to answer Mary, his wife and so he just rubbed his face and fought back tears for a while.“Are you there?” Mary’s voice pulled him out of his reverie.“Yes, yes I am. I’m thinking about what could have happened, who could possibly have come to pick her. Hold on a while, I’ll call James and ask if he had gone to see Claire at school.” He lied. James was standing next to him and with everything he had he wished it had actually been James who went to pick her.“Wait there is someone at the door, I think she is back.” Mary said
“Yes indeed I have good news. The real heir to the Wane family had been taken care of by me and I’d deliver him to you myself, bound.” Eric said, his heart pounding wildly in his chest while the others tracked the location.“I was right when I picked you, you are trustworthy and smart. But I’d ask you one question first of all.” the voice said.“Okay, go ahead.” Eric said.“If you are really close to the actual heir, how come you are betraying him so easily?” He asked.“Well I wouldn’t put it that way, I am not betraying him, I am just a desperate husband and father and husband that would stop at nothing whatsoever to bring his family back home, safe and sound and besides these young arrogant rich kids, have to be taught a lesson sometimes.” Eric said and looked around.Some of the ESU agents were not present anymore. The location of the kidnappers had been obtained and they had left to form a circle of barrier several kilometers away from the actual location.This was part of the pla
Gregor finally met with James where he had told him to meet him and he greeted him respectfully."Young master,” he genuflects, “It's good to see you," Gregor said with a nod of his head.James returned the greeting with a polite smile. "Likewise, Gregor. I'm glad you could make it. I hope you brought every piece of equipment we would be needing?" he asked."Yes, I've made sure to bring everything necessary," Gregor replied confidently. He then turned to James with a hint of concern in his voice. "I hope you haven't forgotten everything I taught you, young master," he said, respectfully and it appeared more like a question."Why would I?" James replied to him."Good," Gregor nodded in approval. "I thought this past three years would have made you soft."Unknown to everyone, and only know to few, Gregor was a formidable martial artist who had trained with the best. As the former personal bodyguard to James' father, he possessed strength and skill beyond compare.And will one day become
Eric returned to where the rest of the team was waiting. His mind was still reeling from the recent turn of events and he could see the worried expressions on the faces of everyone, mostly Lana and Ellen Immediately they saw him, Lana and Ellen approached him and asked. "Eric, what happened?"Eric took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. "It's not good," he began, his voice trembling slightly. "The kidnappers are onto us. They know about our plans and they have someone on the inside feeding them information."“OMG it can't be!” “That's the situation currently.” Eric said, and began to walk towards the ESU agents while the girls followed behind her.“Where's James?” Ellen asked. She looked at the car and saw no trace of him.“He went to find the kidnappers.”Lana and Ellen exchanged worried glances when he said that. “How? What's he thinking?” Ellen asked.“Alone?” Lana asked.“No, with Gregor. I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen. Seeing that the plan was a
Eric's heart raced with panic when Agent Tom suggested that James should be present, considering his previous involvement in the rescue plan. Before Eric could come up with a plausible excuse, Lana stepped forward from behind. She has been watching the whole drama unfold, "Wait, hold on a moment," she said. "Are you talking about the chauffeur? Obviously, he was actually sent by me to retrieve some of my belongings from my place because I will be going to the office from here." The other agents turned to Lana and regarded her with respect. "And besides," Lana continued, "James is a member of my personal security detail. He can't be wrongly accused without proper justification." Agent Tom nodded in understanding, "Alright, if that's the case, then we'll trust your judgment, Miss." he said and held his peace. “Good.” Lana turned to Eric with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Eric. Everything will be fine. Let's focus on getting through this together," she said and offered him a supp
James and Gregor waited in tense silence for almost two hours for Gomer Frenté.Finally, the device buzzed."It's them," James whispered to Gregor with his thumb hovering over the accept button. He pressed it, and brought the phone to his ear."Alright, Mr. Wood, or should I say Mr. Eric Wood, the puppet CEO of Emerald Multisource Cooperation?" Gomer Frenté the voice on the other end said with a hint of amusement lacing the words. "I've checked your location, and indeed, you're not with the ESU agents. So, here's what we'll do: meet us in the desert on the outskirts of town. You come alone, bring the information, and we'll have your family there."Gregor's eyes narrowed at the mention of the location. "they fell for it," he gestured to James, who nodded in understanding."I'll be there," James replied with a steady voice "But if anything happens to my family, this deal is off."Gomer Frenté laughed, a sound that sent chills down James's spine. "You're in no position to make demands, M
James could see the figures of Gomer Frenté and his gang from the car as he drove towards them.They were about twenty men in number all armed with different dangerous weapons.He also saw a woman and a young girl with their eyes covered whom he quickly identified as Mary and Claire. They were guarded by two men.Behind, he saw another guy lying down motionless and thought that he must have been killed by the gang leader for messing up.This gave him chills because he needed to be careful now seeing that these people won't hesitate to pull the trigger on anyone.“Stop!” Gomer Frenté said and pointed his pistol towards James.James pulled the car to a stop a few yards away from the group, he adjusted the silicone mask to make sure it was securely in place.He quickly signaled Gregor who was already at the trunk, letting him know that he was stepping out of the car, then took a deep breath and stepped out of the car with the briefcase in hand.Gomer Frenté's eyes narrowed as James appro