Needless to say, Winnie couldnât believe her ears. âWhose grandmother? Who abducted her? Could you repeat that?âRealizing that Winnie had become rather emotional, Xavier quickly tried to comfort her.âCalm yourself down and listen to me, Winnie. The police found Zyonâs tracks at the docks today and promptly launched an operation to arrest him. At the same time, however, your grandmother suddenly showed up with Michael and Rachel. As you know, Rachel tends to get into trouble when no oneâs watching her, and from what I heard, she wandered off on her own and ended up being taken hostage by Zyon. Unfortunately, Granny also fell into his hands when she went looking for Rachel.âAfter a pause, Xavier continued, âZyon has another accomplice with him, and theyâre both armed, so the police have started negotiations with him to keep the hostages safe. He wants the police to provide them with a boat and cash, adding that heâll only release the hostages once theyâve entered the high seas.âUpon hearing that, Winnie was speechless as her brows furrowed.Alas, the longer she remained silent, the more panicked Xavier was. âWhatâs the matter, Winnie? Please say something.âWith that, Winnie took a deep breath and recomposed herself. âIâm heading over this instance. Where are you now?ââIâm also on my way there. In any case, donât panic. Iâll be here for you no matter what happens.âFeeling a lot more at ease after Xavierâs reassurance, Winnie replied, âOkay.
By the way, how did you find out about this? Is the information reliable? Are Granny and Rachel safe?âXavier was quiet for a moment as he carefully weighed his options. He didnât want to lie to Winnie, but neither was he about to tell her the whole truth. After all, he wasnât ready to let her know that he had been surveilling Jacinta for the longest time.âEver since Zyon escaped from the Fairchild residence, I was the one who contacted the police to track him down. Someone within the force then shared the information with me, so I have no doubt itâs reliable. Donât worry. The hostages are presently safe and sound.ââGood! Zyon Fairchild deserves to go to hell!â Winnie said through gritted teeth. âI wonât be letting him off this time round!âAs soon as the call ended, Winnie returned to the laboratory and explained the situation to Lionel and Sebastian.Thankfully, the two men were more than understanding.âNini, this is undoubtedly your top priority, so go ahead and do what you need to do.
Leave the work here to us,â Sebastian urged.âThatâs right,â Lionel chimed in. âThis a matter of life and death, and it should take precedence over everything else. Donât worry about Sebastian. Once weâve completed our work, my assistant and I will personally send him home.ââExactly! Iâll send you a text the second I get home,â Sebastian added. âYou need not worry about me.âNow that she had a weight lifted off her shoulders, Winnie jumped into her car and made a beeline for the docks.Since the docks were nearer to the university, it took her just over half an hour to get there.However, a security guard stopped her before she could even drive up to the gate, leaving her with no choice but to roll down the window and try bribing her way through.To her surprise, the security guard stood his ground.âMiss, as much as Iâd love to accept your money, my hands are tied. Thereâs a big case happening inside, so I canât let you in under these circumstances,â he explained. âBesides, a whole team of police officers has already shown up and sealed off the area. If I still let you enter, I might end up in jail! Please cooperate and drive away, will you?âDetermined to give it another shot, Winnie frowned and replied, âAre you really saying no to free money? Donât you have other entrances here? Point me in the right direction, and Iâll reward you handsomely.ââOf course, there are other entrances, but the security in those places is even tighter because they donât want the felons escaping from the side doors. Please leave. It isnât safe here. If you stay any longer, chances are the police will start questioning you.â As soon as the security guard had said his piece, an armed policeman began to march toward Winnie.âThis area has been cordoned off! Leave this instance!âAnnoyed, Winnie quickly opened the car door and stepped out.
âOfficer, please let me in. Iâm a family member of the hostages!âMy goodness, itâs so frustrating when I have no clue about the current situation or if Granny is still safe. I know this isnât Yartran, where I can call the shots, but why canât I even gain entry into the docks? How utterly ridiculous!Alas, Winnieâs outburst only heightened the armed policemanâs guard as he swiftly aimed his gun at her.âHow did you know about the hostages? Where did you get the information from?âDespite having the gun barrel in her face, Winnie remained unfazed. âIt was the hostage who told me herself. Now, if you donât mind, please let me through. I know the abductor too, so I can try negotiating with him.ââStand back! Put your hands on your head and lean against the car!â the policeman ordered, ignoring Winnieâs plea and explanation. After all, the only thing that mattered to him was that he did his job dutifully.Winnie knew the policeman had begun to suspect her, but it never crossed her mind to use force against him.That said, it had also been a while since anyone made such a bold request of her. Just as Winnie took a deep breath and stepped back, a car suddenly pulled to a stop in front of her.Before anyone could react, the passenger door flew open, and Xavier stuck a hand out. âGet in the car.âWinnie, however, widened her eyes and shot him a look. Read the room, for goodnessâ sake! Thereâs a policeman with a gun in front of me!Having caught her hint, Xavier merely muttered a name.Within seconds, the passenger window rolled down, and a man in shades shouted at the armed policeman, âHank!âHank, the policeman, instantly whipped his head around. âLieutenant!ââYes, itâs me. Leave this be and return to your post.âDutiful as always, Hank replied, âLieutenant, I have something to report!ââI know what itâs about, but all you need to do now is follow my orders!âHaving heard his superior, the young Hank had no choice but to put his gun away and let Winnie through.With that, Winnie hurriedly got into the car and turned to Xavier. âWhatâs the situation now? Are Granny and Rachel safe?âFunnily enough, the latter spoke up at the same time. âAre you okay?ââIâm okay. You came at the right time,â Winnie answered.âThatâs a relief!â Xavier said as he held her hand with interlocked fingers. âThe snipers have yet to take their spots, so the police are trying their best to buy more time. As for the hostages, theyâre currently not in any danger.âWinnie nodded. âGood. Thatâs good.âSoon, the car entered the compound and stopped outside the police tape.The policeman in the passenger seat promptly hopped off and told Xavier to park the car before joining him.As it turned out, Josiah was the driver for the day.He hadnât been able to say much with the police around, but now that they were alone, he could finally speak his mind.âHow did you get here faster than us? Did you fly here?â he quipped while looking around for a parking spot.âI was at the university when I got the call. Itâs a lot nearer from there to here,â Winnie explained before squeezing Xavierâs hand. âThank goodness you came. Otherwise, I wonât even be able to get past the gate.ââHa! That goes without saying,â Josiah blurted out. âIf we were in the olden times, Xavier would be like the king of Avenport. There isnât anything he canât handle, so donât worry your pretty little head about it. Besides, Zyon only wants a boat and cash. As long as he doesnât harm the hostages, Xavier can give him any amount he desires. Once the snipers have gotten into their positions, Zyon will be dead meat if he makes any wrong move. Who knows? We might be celebrating his death anniversary next year!âAlas, the second Josiah finished speaking, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the distance, followed by a womanâs scream.Winnie immediately widened her eyes in fear as a sense of dread struck her.âSomething bad has happened!â