As Mason and Greta were very familiar with the area, they were able to navigate the forest with ease and led Winnie straight to the building. The building was located in an open field with paved roads all around, providing great visibility to those in the area.Because of that, Winnie was able to spot a Jeep parked outside the building from afar.She then had Mason drive their car into the forest and said solemnly,âTell the car behind us to stay out of sight. The men from the Horton family have just dropped my granny and Rachel off, so theyâre probably still in the building. Letâs wait here until they leave.ââUnderstood,â Mason replied as he drove the car into the dense jungle.He then grabbed a pair of binoculars and went off to gather information on the building.Greta, too, got off the car with her sniper rifle in her arms. She needed to familiarize herself with the terrain in order to pick the best hiding spot.Just like that, Winnie and Xavier were the only ones left in the car.As Winnie turned to look at Xavier, her gaze fell upon the bloodstained bandage on his left hand.âDoes it hurt?â she asked while gently lifting his arm.âNo, it doesnât.â Xavier frowned as he continued, âI think Iâve gotten quite numb to the pain. Why are you asking me about this? Are you planning to use this as an excuse to leave me behind again?âHe sounded so calm that it seemed like he had gotten used to it.Winnie pretended to be mad at him and exclaimed, âWhat are you saying? You wouldnât be sitting here in this car right now if I wanted to leave you behind! I think youâre prejudicing me. This is a very dangerous mindset to have, you know?âXavier simply kept quiet and stared at Winnie with an emotionless look on his face.Feeling a little uncomfortable from his gaze, she asked, âWhy are you looking at me like that?ââQuit trying to pin it all on me. Iâm not that unreasonable, am I?â Xavier said with a defiant snort.Hmm⦠Now that I think about it, he has changed a lot since we confirmed our feelings for each other. Well, save for the period of his memory loss, of course. Back then, he used to be a domineering CEO who couldnât care less about my feelings. Now, he puts up with my antics and tries his best to satisfy my requests. I donât care how ridiculously handsome he looks. Heâs an adorable softie to me!With that in mind, Winnie placed his arm around her shoulder and nuzzled against his chest.Suddenly, her lips curled into a sly grin as a mischievous thought formed in her head.She then pointed in a random direction outside the window and yelled, âLook over there!âThinking something bad had happened, Xavier immediately looked out the window.Sure enough, there was no one out there.With a confused look on his face, Xavier turned around and asked, âWhat is it? I donât seeââHe was cut off mid-sentence by a sudden kiss on the lips.âWhatâs this? Are you trying to seduce me out here in the woods? What the heck are you up to this time?â Xavier exclaimed with a chuckle and licked his lips, which had turned dry in response to the womanâs seduction. âOh, nothing much! Iâm just happy that Iâll be able to rescue Granny and Rach soon! We can all finally go home!âRealizing she had misspoken, Winnie quickly added, âGranny and Rach donât know who Mason and the others are, so they might get scared and mistake them for bad guys. Thatâs why I need to go with them. Since youâre wounded, you can stay here and wait for our return instead. This isnât anything dangerous, so you have nothing to worry about.âXavier nodded with a frown. âAll right. See? I told you, you can always talk to me about stuff. Iâm not that unreasonable.ââYup, youâre right! Thanks!â Winnie leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the bandage before getting off the car.Mason turned around and handed her the binoculars when he saw her come over.Through the binoculars, Winnie was able to get a clear view of the situation inside the building.Weâve got three men chugging down beers in the living room. Two of them have their guns on them while the third one has his gun on the table. I donât see Rach and Granny, thoughâ¦âDo you see anyone else apart from these men?â she asked while scanning the building with the binoculars.âNo.
These men probably wonât stick around for long. Iâm guessing the people youâre looking for are being held inside one of the rooms. We canât see it from here due to the trees blocking our line of sight. I say we head over and search the place once these men leave,â Mason replied.Winnie had faith in the information provided by Christopher. âOkay,â she said as she handed the binoculars back to Mason.Mason pointed at her ear as he took the binoculars over from her.That was his way of hinting at her to put her earpiece on.As Winnie shoved the earpiece into her ear, she heard Greta saying,âMs.
Garland, I have spotted your granny and the girl inside a room on the second floor. Your granny seems fine, but the young girl looks unwell. Your granny is looking after her as we speak.âWinnie instinctively looked up when she heard that. âWhere are you?âGreta said she saw Granny on the second floor, so she mustâve reached some kind of high ground.âIâm on top of a tree, Ms. Garland.âWinnie gave up on searching for Greta when she couldnât spot her anywhere. âOh, okay⦠Continue monitoring the building, then.âThose words had barely left her mouth when Greta said, âThe three men are leaving in the car. I saw your granny walk past the window when they drove off.ââGot it!â Winnie heard the sound of the car engine as well.They waited until the car had disappeared from sight before moving up to the building.However, Greta noticed something was amiss the moment Winnie and Mason entered the house.âThereâs a car headed in your direction. Theyâre probably going to the building. I have yet to confirm who it is, so please stay hidden.ââD*mn it! We shouldâve waited a few more minutes!â Winnie muttered under her breath after hearing that.âIf Iâm not mistaken, Zyon is one of the passengers in the car. Whatâs the plan, Ms. Garland? Shall I take him down?â Greta asked.