Chapter 731
The man’s thumb and index finger dug viciously into the hollow above Sienna’s shoulder blade.
The sheer force of his grip caused her entire body to jerk sideways.
Forced to a halt, Sienna turned her head, meeting a pair of icy eyes that scanned her up and down.
“Is there a problem?” she asked coldly, straightening her spine.
Before the man could speak, Heather rushed over out of nowhere.
Heather scrambled to explain, desperately trying to bail Sienna out. “Boss, she’s not from our village.
She’s just a tourist who got separated from her friends! She was only asking to borrow my phone p>
The leader glanced down, his sharp, predatory gaze dragging slowly across Sienna’s swollen, blotchy, and wretched face, analyzing every inch.
“You’re not a local?” he demanded.
Suppressing the rising panic in her chest, Sienna kept her expression blank. “I live in the city. I’m just here for a visit. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now p>
The man’s lips curled into a humorless smile. “Sorry. You’re not going anywhere p>
Sienna’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me p>
Her face was completely ruined; there was no possible way anyone could recognize her.
The man tilted his head, signaling his subordinates to step forward. “Our orders are to sweep every village along this coastline.
We’re rounding up all non-local women under the age of twenty-five.
We aren’t even letting a female mosquito slip through p>
With that, he raised his hand. “Take her p>
Two men in black immediately lunged forward, grabbing Sienna by both arms.
Her feet instantly left the ground as they half-carried, half-dragged her toward the black SUVs parked at the end of the alley.
Sienna thrashed against them, the tips of her shoes dragging through the gravel. “Let me go! I don’t even know you! You can’t just take people p>
A bone-deep chill washed over her.
She had been so close.
Just one step away from getting a phone to call Thea and the others.
But right at the finish line, she had walked straight into a trap.
Heather stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before her.
She hadn’t even pocketed her cash yet, the bills fluttering loudly in the wind.
The man who had given the order paused as he walked past Heather, throwing her a look. “You’re coming too p>
Heather was completely baffled, unable to understand why an ordinary tourist was being forcefully abducted.
In the past, these buyers had always taken on volunteers from the village; they had never forcibly kidnapped anyone.
Panic bubbled in her chest, but the thought of the massive payout made her bite her lip and quietly follow the men to the vehicles.
Sienna was shoved into the backseat of the second SUV.
A moment later, Heather was pushed in right next to her.
The heavy door slammed shut. The soundproofing was exceptional, instantly reducing the chaos outside to a muffled hum.
Through the tinted glass, Sienna noticed the cars ahead were already packed with people.
Men and women, all locals from the village.
They all looked thrilled to have been chosen, without a single trace of worry on their faces.
Only their car held a heavy, unsettling tension.
No, more accurately, only Sienna looked utterly defeated.
The convoy of five or six black SUVs quickly peeled out of Heron Bay.
They sped straight toward the isolated, uninhabited depths of the mountains.
Seeing Sienna pale and silent, Heather tried to offer some quiet comfort.
“Don’t be scared. They just need people to help out. If you’re useless, they’ll just send you back. If you can actually help even better you’ll get paid.
Some people from the village have done it before, and they came back wearing nice clothes and eating good food p>
Sienna’s throat tightened, a cold dread pooling in her stomach. “Help with what?” she croaked.
Heather leaned in closer, her eyes gleaming with naive enthusiasm. “Testing medicine! They said someone’s really sick and they re developing a new cure.