Chapter 152 - The Kidnapping

After their meeting at the teahouse, Jackson, Amelie, and Alexander headed back to the hotel to map out a plan while Sean went to look for Natalie and Pumpkin. Left with no choice, Halia returned to the casino on her own. After all, she still had to spend 2 hours at the tables. 

But, just as she arrived at the entrance of the casino, she was stopped at the doorway by a man that looked a little older than her.

"Miss Feng, Mrs. Wu wants to see you," he said as he pointed to a Rolls Royce parked outside.

Halia glanced at the car, she recognized it. It did indeed belong to the Wu's, she had seen Emerson's parents riding it before. So, without any suspicion, she followed the man to the car. As soon as she approached, she saw the middle-aged woman sitting inside with a warm smile. "Come Halia, let's have some lunch together," Mother Wu said.

Halia looked at the woman with confusion. Why did she want to see her? Was it about the proposal? Hadn't Emerson explained to his mother that they weren't really in a relationship yet?

Halia sighed. She hated disappointing elders, but she hated lying to them even more. If worse came to worst, she was ready to explain everything to the woman herself. At least, Mother Wu seemed like quite a reasonable and understanding person.

But, not long after the car started driving, a black van suddenly sped past and blocked their path. The car came to a halt and the driver gasped in fear. 

"What happened?" Mother Wu asked in frustration. But, before the driver got the chance to answer, the van door slid open and three men in ski masks jumped out holding guns. They then ran up to the Rolls Royce and started yelling for the women to get out. Mother Wu screamed in fear. "Don't hurt us!" she cried.

Halia stared at the three men and tried her best to remain calm. She hadn't offended anyone (or so she thought), so she assumed they had no reason to kill her. And, judging by the fact that they hadn't shot yet, she knew what was about to happen.

It was a kidnapping!

Both Halia and Mother Wu came from wealthy backgrounds. If someone wanted to hold them for ransom, this was the perfect opportunity. 

As the men approached, Halia calmly slipped her hand into her handbag and pulled out a hair clip. This was the tracking clip that Sean had given her when she was investigating Jackson; the same clip that she had tracked to save Jackson's life in Beijing.

She knew she would eventually have a use for it, so she carried it around at all times. Just before the men opened the car door, she quickly clipped the clip to her hair and raised her hands. "Don't worry, Mother Wu, they just want money. Listen to what they say and we will be fine," Halia comforted.

Mother Wu glanced at the young woman. How could she remain so calm at a time like this?

This woman was definitely not simple.

A moment later, the men opened the door and dragged the two women out.

"Slowly," Halia said. "If you want money, my father's got plenty of it."

Halia scanned her eyes across the three men. They were holding 9mm Hi-Point Carbine rifles, the typical gun of choice for criminals. One of the men seemed to be the leader as the remaining two men grabbed one woman each. But, the weird thing was, Halia could clearly see that the safety catches were still on for the guns. With it on, one could not actually fire the gun. 

Obviously, these guys didn't want to accidentally shoot someone.

Halia glanced at Mother Wu and saw the terrified expression on her face. If worse came to worst, she had to, at least, help this woman escape.

So, when the kidnappers had their guard down, she quickly flipped the man that was holding onto her and hooked her arm around the neck of the man that had Mother Wu. The man subconsciously reached for his neck and let go of the middle-aged woman.

"Run!" Halia screamed.

At that moment, the sound of police sirens suddenly echoed from the distance. Halia listened in surprise, were the police there to save them? How did they know so quickly?

Halia watched as the middle-aged woman hobbled away, but, just as she saw the flashing lights of a police car approach, someone hit her from behind and she fainted.

By the time she woke up again, she was bound and gagged inside the back of a van. Somehow the kidnappers had managed to escape with her. Halia's heart sank. But, she quickly realized it was just her and the 3 kidnappers in the van, plus a driver. If it was any consolation, at least, Mother Wu escaped.

...

Inside a restaurant at the casino, Father Feng was having lunch with Father Wu and Emerson when he received a phone call from an unknown number. He looked at it and frowned. "It must be another marketing call," he grumbled as he shook his head.

But, a few seconds after he placed the phone to his ear, his face began to turn pale.

Father Wu glanced at his friend worriedly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Haili," he said as he trembled and dropped his phone.

After a short pause, he said, "She's been kidnapped..."

At that moment, Father Wu also received a phone call. It was from his wife. "Oh dear, I'm at the hospital," she cried.

"At the hospital? Why are you there? Are you OK?" Father Wu asked worriedly.

"I was with Haili today and some men tried to kidnap us! The police managed to save me, but Haili's been taken. They had guns! I'm afraid something bad will happen to her," the middle-aged woman sobbed.

"Don't worry, I'm here with Henry. We'll make sure she gets back safely," Father Wu comforted. His kind-hearted wife was always worrying about others.