Chapter 708
Mira gripped her shoulder. “Tell them you refuse to deliver the money until they show you a live video proving Celine is still breathing p>
“Sterling, look at this. The drop-off point they designated is incredibly close to where your friend was located when he called at 11:00 PM,” Mira pointed out.
“Furthermore, none of the locations he called from tonight have been his actual house p>
“Maybe it’s just a coincidence, or maybe he was out handling business and checking in when he had a moment p>
Regardless, as an outsider, Mira knew she had said enough. She left it at that.
As for Silas’s team, it was deeply ingrained in their professional instincts-once an order was given, they executed it with lethal efficiency.
Sterling’s so-called friend had been under heavy surveillance for hours.
Sterling and Valerie readied four bodyguards and prepared to move out.
They planned to drive to the vicinity, park near the designated drop-off, and then personally drag the suitcases to the exact spot.
Ten million dollars was a staggering sum. Packed into four 24-inch suitcases, the cash weighed well over two hundred pounds.
Before loading them into the trunk, Sterling popped each one open for a final inspection before snapping them shut, leaving even Mira slightly stunned.
Even with her net worth easily in the billions, she strictly dealt in digital wire transfers. She had never seen that much physical cash piled up in one place.
Right before the engine roared to life, Silas’s number flashed on Mira’s screen. “We’ve located the hostage. Initiating breach and extraction p>
Mira relayed the explosive news to the Wards, and the parents wept tears of pure, unadulterated relief.
“There’s a high chance someone is watching us right now. Drive slowly and stall for time,” Mira ordered. “The second Celine is secured, you flip that car around and floor it back here p>
“Understood,” Sterling replied.
Ten agonizing minutes later, Silas called back. The extraction was successful, and he sent a video to prove it.
After confirming it was Celine, Mira immediately called Sterling. “Turn around. They’ve got her p>
The convoy had only driven about two miles down the road. Without a word of hesitation, the bodyguards whipped the vehicles around and sped back.
But barely a mile and a half into their return trip, they saw two massive freight trucks violently collide dead ahead, completely blocking the highway.
Mira’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Turn around again, take another route. I’ve already alerted the authorities, and the police are converging on your location p>
“If necessary, drive straight toward the city center. I’ll have a tactical team intercept and escort you p>
It was midnight, and the roads were practically deserted. A crash like that was no accident. Most likely, the criminals realized the hostage was gone and had immediately pivoted to a high stakes robbery
The truth was Mira and her two personal guards were the most lethal fighters on the campus, but Owen had issued an ironclad directive: She could help her friend, but under no circumstances was she to enter the line of fire.
Because of that, she stayed behind. What if this was all a diversion for an assassin to slip through?
It wasn’t until the wailing sirens of the police cruisers pierced the night air that Mira finally let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
As dawn broke, Mira and the others found Celine in a private hospital room.
Her face was gaunt with exhaustion, and brutal, deep rope burns dug into her wrists and ankles.
Fortunately, she was fully conscious and hadn’t sustained any permanent damage.
The first thing she said when she
saw Mira was, “Thank
you, Mira.
Thank you so much. My mom told me only made it out alive because
of you. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t even want to know what would have happened p>
“It’s nothing, Celine. We’re friends, it’s what we do p>
“I regret it so much. I should have listened to you and learned how to fight. If I just
had a fraction of your strength, I could have broken their hold p>