âMy kids, what are you gonna do now? Looks like this is the end of the road for Dad,â thought Elton.
âBoss, whatâs the next move? This guy is half dead; heâs not much use to us anymore. Heâs not even in the same league as that other guy, Balfour! Darn loser, causing our golden goose to slip through our fingers!â
Jaxon, however, remained unfazed. âYou think making money is easy? If heâs run off, we simply bring him back. Is that really so tough? We caught Balfour once, we can catch him again. And with that little weakling girl tagging along, how far do you think theyâll get? Start a search around the perimeter of the house. Weâll find them!â
Jaxon felt the situation was becoming more interesting by the minute. He had thought heâd have the rest of the payment by the next morning, but these three had more fight in them than heâd anticipated, staging their little escape in the dead of night. If heâd known, he wouldâve cut their tendons earlier, saving himself this headache.
âRemember, when they get back, donât roll out the red carpet. Give âem a good thrashing first. Teach âem that even if thereâs a chance to run while under our watch, theyâd be better off not taking it.â
âYes, sir!â
Monkey cruised along the village roads in his van, thinking along the same lines as Jaxon; these people couldnât have gone far. All he had to do was follow the main roads and heâd find them eventually. The only problem was the pitch-black predawn, making the search tougher.
âShh! Hide, I hear a car.â
Balfour pulled Victoria quickly to the ground, crouching within the bushes. Despite the damp and sticky earth beneath them, they dared not make a sound, waiting for the car to pass.
If it was the cops, theyâd be in luck. If it was their captorsâ¦
Victoriaâs heart was in her throat, hoping against hope for a rescue. But when the headlight beams hit the road, revealing a van, her heart sank..
Afraid of crying out loud, Victoria buried her face in the ground, not caring about the filth. She used to be such a happy, neat girl; this experience would likely cure her of any such concerns in the future.
Balfour, suddenly feeling detached as if his soul was looking down from the heavens, was sharply reminded by his body that it wasnât over yet.
âMy dadâs in trouble.â Only after the van had driven away did Victoria mutter the words with a numb detachment.
âIâm so sorry.â
Victoria bit her lip, frantic with worry. âWhat do we do? Why is this happening?â
Balfour remained silent, bearing the weight of all that was happening it was his cross to bear.
But in the next instant, he suddenly pulled Victoria close and clamped a hand over her mouth, his grip so strong it hurt.
âShh-â
Why were there footsteps approaching through the bushes? Aside from them, who else could it be?
Even Victoriaâs eyes widened in alarm as she clutched at the fabric of Balfourâs shirt.
Who could it be?
âHehe, found you at last. Thought you could hide from Monkey, huh?â
Monkey, somehow, had managed to track them down. They thought they were safe when they heard his van drive off into the distance, but they hadnât realized heâd stealthily parked the van and followed them on foot!