"Hmm, I know." That's right. She absolutely would not let anything happen to Sara.
Janelle called one of her subordinates. "Track the location of this phone number immediately. The number is 139xxxx5718," she ordered directly.
"Janelle, rest assured! I'll start tracking right now. I'll send you the location shortly." Janelle rarely contacted them directly; when she did, it was always a major event.
Erik opened the car door for her to sit in the passenger seat. Inside the car, Janelle remained silent. Erik also called Bryan, instructing him to track the location immediately. Bryan, bored out of his mind in the hospital, jumped into action upon receiving the task.
They received the location almost simultaneously. Comparing notes, it was the same spot. Erik drove towards the location without a second's delay. Lives were at stake.
Soon, they arrived at the destination. Before getting out of the car, Erik tossed a gun to Janelle. These people, bold enough to kidnap publicly, were undoubtedly armed.
Janelle took the handgun and slipped it into her pocket.
"You stay outside for backup. They want to see me. If they spot you, they might hurt Sara."
"I know. I'll be right here," Erik confirmed.
"Hmm." Janelle pushed the car door open and got out.
The phone rang the moment she stepped out.
"Miss Rovella, we have the person. Don't try anything clever, or Miss Winston's life is over."
"Enough talk. I'm coming in now."
Janelle walked towards the entrance. It was an unfinished construction site. The interior situation was unknown, yet she walked in without fear.
Inside were many desperate men. This time, Mrs. Hill had hired true desperadoes, offering an extremely high reward.
Seeing Janelle arrive alone, the leader whistled appreciatively. "Miss Rovella truly has guts." Coming alone took real nerve.
"Where is she? Hand her over." Janelle wasted no time. Once she saw Sara, these men were finished.
The leader clapped his hands. Sara was dragged out. Her face was swollen from being beaten by the leader himself. Seeing Janelle truly alone, Sara's eyes welled up. She hadn't cried when she woke up captured, but seeing Janelle here, tears streamed down her face.
"Janelle, what are you doing? I told you not to come! Why are you here?" What about the project? Wasn't it important?
Seeing Sara's bruised face, Janelle narrowed her eyes. Her suppressed rage boiled over.
"Miss Rovella, don't get impulsive," the leader warned. He held a gun, and his men were armed too. The dark muzzle of a gun pressed against Sara's temple. One pull of the trigger, and Sara would be dead.
"Who sent you?" That was the only question Janelle cared about.
"That doesn't matter. Miss Rovella, we hear you're formidable. We're scared too. So, hand over any weapons you're carrying." They hadn't searched her yet.
"Janelle..." Sara was terrified. Whether it was Mrs. Hill or Westin, they wanted Janelle dead! How could she come here?
"Sara, don't be afraid. I promise I'll get you out safely!" Janelle reassured her. When speaking to Sara, Janelle's voice held a rare gentleness. If not for her, Sara wouldn't be in this danger.
The leader signaled two men to search Janelle. She spread her arms, allowing it. One of the men, captivated by her beauty, couldn't resist groping her waist.
"Boss, these two girls are stunning! The guys haven't had any action in ages. Can we...?" One spoke up, eliciting lewd laughs from the others. Yeah! Having these girls beneath them would be ecstasy.
"Enough!" the leader snapped coldly. "Once we get the money, you can have any girl you want. Don't touch them now."
Janelle locked eyes with the man who had touched her, committing it to memory.
"Boss, no weapons," the searchers reported.
The leader nodded. "Miss Rovella, apologies." He ordered Janelle bound.
"Janelle, run! Get out of here! Don't worry about me! You have your godmother to take care of! What will happen to her if something happens to you too?" Sara pleaded desperately, the gun still pressed to her head, rendering her powerless.
"It's alright. Don't worry. They probably just want me out of the bidding. We'll be fine." Janelle knew they likely wanted more than that. But with a gun on Sara, she couldn't risk her friend's life.
Janelle was tied up. Two men shoved her next to Sara. Seeing this, the leader grinned triumphantly. So much for the fearsome Miss Rovella? He'd handled her easily. People! Once they had a weak spot, they became easy to control.
Seeing Janelle also bound, Sara couldn't stop the tears from streaming down. As Janelle's best friend, not only could she offer no help, she'd brought danger upon her.
Seeing her cry, Janelle's heart ached. "Alright, stop crying. I will get you out safely. Don't be afraid." Janelle wanted to hug her, but tied up, she couldn't.
"Janelle, I'm sorry. It was all my carelessness."
"Why are you apologizing? You're in danger because of me." She was the one who should apologize.
Erik had already infiltrated the site. Seeing how they treated Janelle enraged him. The consequences of his anger would be severe. His men arrived swiftly. With Sara and Janelle in their hands, he needed absolute certainty of their safety before acting. That's why he waited for his backup.
Bound together, their guards grew lax, no longer pointing guns directly at them. Janelle was looking for an opening. Waiting wasn't a solution; they had to escape. But with so many watching, she couldn't make any large moves without drawing attention.
Just then, BANG! The guard watching them collapsed, shot dead. At the sound of gunfire, the men inside rushed over, weapons ready. In the blink of an eye, Erik had already taken down several men. Janelle quickly untied her own hands and feet. Under Erik's covering fire, she freed Sara and pulled her behind a wall for cover.
"Stay behind me," Janelle ordered. Then, seemingly from nowhere, she pulled out a handgun and fired a shot at a man aiming his weapon at Erik.