Chapter 154 - A True Friend

"Why don't you have a mask on?" Halia asked with curiosity as she stared at the sinister face in front of her. The man was young; roughly the same age as her. He had long hair that was tied into a bun, a toned body, and facial hair that made him look brawn and tough. If she was to give this description to the police, they would be able to pick him out easily in the crowd.

So, why did he reveal himself? The only time kidnappers ever revealed themselves on purpose was if they had no intention of letting their hostage go. After all, being recognized was the worst outcome.

"You seem oddly calm for someone who's been kidnapped..." the man commented.

"You haven't answered my question yet," Halia said.

This was not the first time she had been tied up to a chair like this. The last time this happened, she was drugged and sitting in front of a serial killer. Back then, she was inexperienced and sloppy. But, this time, she knew she had backup coming, so she had no reason to be worried. She simply had to buy as much time as possible. She had left enough clues in her call to her father. Even if Sean didn't notice her hairclip, he would have noticed the time she mentioned. From the casino, she predicted it would take, at most, 25 minutes to get to her. She had to remain calm.

"I wanted you to see the face of your handsome killer," the man finally chuckled.

Halia scoffed. "Killer? Don't you want your money? If you kill me, you won't get anything," Halia threatened.

The man shook his head.

"I'll get much more money..."

"...if I kill you," he snickered.

Halia looked at the man with realization as he twirled a knife in his hand. No wonder this man had no mask on, he didn't expect her to leave this place alive!

"So, this was never meant to be a kidnapping?" Halia asked. "Who ordered you to do this?"

Halia was a little surprised.

She had no enemies. Who would have reason to kill her?

"You don't need to know," the man replied as he began to approach.

...

Jackson stared at the GPS nervously as they sped through the streets of Macau. They were just 10 minutes away from Halia's tracker, but no one knew exactly what was happening inside the little abandoned house. Sure, the kidnappers hadn't hurt Halia before, but did they hurt her now? His girlfriend was beautiful and he often found it hard to control himself around her, would these monsters take advantage of her? He couldn't bear to imagine the possibilities.

As he drove, Sean pulled out some surgical masks and handed them around. "We can't risk revealing ourselves," he said. Jackson, Amelie and Alexander quickly put on the masks as instructed.

The car soon pulled up a few houses down from the abandoned house they were after. This whole neighborhood had been emptied out for redevelopment and was due to be knocked down in a few weeks. It was the perfect place to hide.

Amelie glanced out of the car and spotted a black van parked outside the house they were after. They were definitely at the right place. But, why were these guys so sloppy as to leave their van parked in such a visible spot? Sure, the area was abandoned, but cars still drove through these streets. "According to Mother Wu, a police car arrived just as the kidnappers drove off. Aren't these guys afraid that the police would be looking for their license plate?" Amelie asked.

Jackson stared at the van.

That was a good point.

The four agents quickly loaded their guns, stepped carefully out of the car and approached the house inconspicuously. There was no one in the van, but there were two men guarding the front door. Amelie and Alexander easily snuck up behind the two and knocked them out. 

The four then proceeded to enter the house. The front door was unlocked, so they easily got inside. Now, all they needed to do was find which room Halia was in. But, as soon as they stepped inside, a loud bang rang through the house. A gun had been shot...

Why was there gunfire?

Jackson looked at Sean in a panic as his face turned pale. Both of these men had been in law enforcement for years and they had both spent a fair time undercover, but this was one of the most bone-chilling moments of their life.

They quickly ran towards the sound of the gun. What had happened? Who pulled the trigger? Halia was tied to a chair, wasn't she?

...

Over at Macau University Hospital, Natalie and Pumpkin had returned to look for Father Feng. Father Feng was visiting Mother Wu with Father Wu and Emerson, so they were all standing around the woman's hospital bed at that moment. "Don't worry," Mother Wu comforted Father Feng, "I'm sure Haili will be OK. The kidnappers had guns. If they wanted to hurt her, they would have done it already."

"But, the police saved you and are after them now. Will Haili be in danger if the police turn up?" the old man asked.

"You will just have to trust them," Mother Wu said.

She then sighed and shook her head, "If only I managed to save your daughter."

"What do you mean?" Father Feng asked curiously.

Mother Wu glanced down for a second and replied, "I bit one of the kidnappers on the arm and managed to free myself from them, but I failed to free your daughter."

"You see this cut I got on my arm? I actually tried to save Haili too, but they cut me! I'm so sorry, Henry, I couldn't protect your daughter," she cried.

Father Feng leaned over and grabbed the woman's hands thankfully, "Don't blame yourself, Emma. I know you tried your best. You are a true friend."

Natalie watched quietly from the side as the three old friends comforted each other. But, something was strange. Halia had revealed to her in secret that she had been an undercover police officer in the past. Why would she be so helpless as to wait for an old lady to save her? And why would Mother Wu be so brave when the kidnappers had guns? The entire story didn't make sense.

Emerson approached his mother at that moment and hugged her. "Thank you for risking your life for Haili, Mom. You are the bravest woman I know," he said.

"Oh, my dear son, I know how much you love her. How could I let her get hurt?" the woman sobbed.

But, when no one was looking, her lips began to curve upwards ever so slightly. Any moment now, news was going to arrive that Halia was dead...and she would be known as a heroine, a true friend, and a brave mother...