CHAPTER 14

SCOTT

I still feel drowsy despite it being already one in the afternoon. I met Brent last night, and he denied everything. He said he didn't know about the human trafficking that Leo was doing and apologized for not watching his men. He also denied that he was the one hiding him. He denied everything, and I couldn't do anything until I found proof pointing at him for being the mastermind.

After meeting him, I went home and called Lara, and we ended the call around five in the morning. I always forgot the time every time she was with me, or I was talking with her. All my attention was only focused on her. Everything faded away, and only her existed.

I smiled and lazily went into the bathroom and took a bath. Just the thought of her makes me smile.

My smile vanishes when I remember the missing teenager reported last night. I'm sure Leo was behind it, and an influential person was behind him. He couldn't hide with my men if he worked alone without someone backing him up. I put my clothes on after finishing my bath and went to the dining area to eat lunch. "Boss!" James and Mark greeted me when I passed them in the living room. I nodded my head in response and went into the dining area. I settled at the head of the table, and my food was placed in front of me by one of the servants after a few minutes, and I ate quietly.

I joined James and Mark in the living room, and the news showed the missing teenagers again.

"Another teenager was reported missing again, and I'm sure Leo is behind it. I'm sure someone big is behind him." James commented.

"I believe, too." Mark agreed.

I ignored them, pulled out my phone from my pocket, and sent a message to Lara.

"I Miss You." I smiled and tucked it back into my pocket. I leaned back on the couch with my hand behind my head, watching the news. The age bracket is 14 to 20, and there are already ten reported missing.

I want to know who's behind it because Lara is in the age bracket. I don't want her to be the next victim of this. I'm planning to visit the clubs that Leo handled before, later. I want to see the changes and ask some employees if they know where Leo's right now.

I snapped my eyes away from the television when my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and saw Aron's name blinking on the screen.

"What does this brat want now?" I thought and pressed the answer button.

"What?" I snarled.

"Bo...Boss." I straightened up when I heard his stuttering voice.

"What's wrong, Aron?"

"Bo...Boss, La...Lara, someone took her." He stuttered.

"What?" I screamed, standing up from the couch. James and Mark also stood up, looking worried.

"How? How did this thing happen? You were there. You were there to make sure that she was safe. I trusted you, Aron." I screamed, fist-balled beside me.

"Boss, I was just across the street watching her. I never left my eyes on her, but it happened so fast, Boss. I tried to run to her, but the car had already driven away." He explained.

"Find her, find her. I'm going to kill you this time if something happens to her. You hear me, Aron. I'm not threatening you. I will surely kill you." I warned him, trembling in anger.

"I know where they brought her, Boss. I followed the car that took her, and I was already outside the place. It's a mansion, boss, and heavily guarded. Homer is with me. He was the one guarding Lara when it happened."

"Then, what are you doing? Get her out of that place." I screamed.

"Boss, the building is surrounded by over twenty men armed with high-powered guns, and I don't know how many more men are inside the building. I think this is the place where they keep the missing teenagers. I called because we needed a backup, boss. We cannot do this with just the two of us. Owen, Ashley, and Cherry are already coming here too."

"Give me the address."

"I message you, Boss."

"Tell Owen, don't move until I arrive. I'll gather our men. Just make sure that they will not move Lara from that building."

"Okay, Boss." He replied, and I quickly hung up and faced James and Mark.

"Prepare ten of our trusted men. I asked Grandpa...but my phone rang again.

"Hello! I quickly answered.

"Scott! Grandpa answered on the other line.

"Grandpa, Lara...

"I know. Owen informed me already. I already sent my men out there. Don't bring other men affiliated with the mafia. Only James and Mark. Make sure they cover their faces as well as you. These people that took her might be part of the mafia."

"Okay, Grandpa."

"Okay, save her."

"I will, Grandpa," I replied, and we hung up. "James, only you and Mark. No need to bring our men. Grandpa has already sent some. Cover your face." They both nodded, and we headed to the armory to get some guns and stuffed them in a duffel bag. I took two daggers and two handguns and slipped them into the holster attached to my belt. After that, we got into the car.

James and Mark covered their faces with a mask and pulled the hoodies of their jackets over their heads, and I did the same.

We drove to the location quietly, with my heart pounding inside my chest. It was the first time I felt scared. Before, I didn't fear even someone pointing a gun at my head. I didn't feel any fear at all, but now I'm feeling it for the first time, and it was because of Lara.

My hand was clutching tightly at my legs as I watched the scenery that we passed by outside the window. The place was two hours drive from the compound, and I was scared of what was happening during that period. It felt like the car was moving so slowly, even though James was already speeding over the speed limit, and my heartbeat continued to accelerate as the time passed kept tickling.

It was past eleven when we arrived at the location. We stopped the car a few meters away from the building and hid it, ensuring no one would notice it. The mansion has three stories, surrounded by more or less twelve-foot tall concrete walls with barbed wire on top, and it is more or less three kilometers away from the neighborhood and surrounded by trees.

Owen, Aron, Cherry, Ashley, and Homer quickly approached us with Grandpa's men wearing masks behind them. These men were Grandpa's secret armies that didn't involve any of the mafia's activities. I haven't seen them in a fight before, but I'm hoping they are reasonable, like how they stood proudly before me.

"Boss." Aron bowed his head in respect, and the others followed. I nodded in response and stood in front of them.

"Did you scout the area? Any entrance and exit we can use to go in and out of the building?"

"There's only one entrance and one exit, and five men guard both, and I'm guessing the barbed wire on top of the wall has a live wire connected to it," Owen answered.

"Is there any movement there?"

"Boss, fifteen cars came earlier, and all well-known people and officials in it," Aron replied. I balled my fist. This group is not just small-time human traffickers. There's a big personality behind it. And these people used the mafia as their front, or a member of the Mafia was behind this.

"Do you find any way to get in?"

"Only the entrance and the exit are the way to get in because, on the wall, there's a surveillance camera around it. I grit my teeth, fist balled tightly beside me.

"If only we could talk to Lara. I had a gadget attached to her earrings for communication, but it seems like she's unconscious because she's not responding." Owen said. That accelerates my fears.

"You haven't heard anything from her since someone took her?" I asked, now more worried. Different scenarios were playing in my mind, and the worst was, what if they had already killed her?

"No, I didn't hear any sound. I hope she just turned it off and nothing bad happened to her."

"Stopped talking nonsense." Ashley scolded him. " Lara is hard as a rock. She looks fragile on the outside, but you know the real her. They can't bring her down without a fight. So stop talking some crap."

"Sorry. I'm just worried." Owen murmured.

"We need to get inside, group into two. The first group will enter through the exit and the other to the entrance. I led the group to the entrance. James, you lead the group to the exit. Owen and Ashley, come with me. Cherry and Homer, you go with James." They nodded, and Grandpa's men quickly grouped themselves into two groups, and the first half stood behind James and the other half behind me. We cannot waste more time. I'm afraid that while we are planning our attack, they are also planning to kill her.

"We need to be fast and precise with all our moves. We are in the open, and if we are not fast and careful, we will end up dead."

"Yes, Boss," they answered.

"Now, move."

"Wait!! Lara...Lara." Owen called on his earpiece. I quickly leaned closer to him so that I could hear her.

"Owen." She replied in a whispered tone.

"How are you? They don't hurt you. Why couldn't I communicate with you earlier?"

"I forgot to turn it on when I left home, and I was unconscious most of the time. I just woke up an hour ago, and they forced me to wear this skimpy lingerie. I fought back with them earlier, but they killed one of the girls. Owen, I need your help. They will punish one of us with death if we disagree with them. One girl has already died because of me. I don't want it to happen again.

"Where are you?" Owen asked.

"I'm inside the toilet." She replied. I balled my fist beside m,e. I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn't, or she would find out who I was.

"We're already outside with some of your grandfather's men. Can you tell us how many men are inside, how many girls, and what are those people who went in doing there?"

"I only saw six men. I don't know if there are more, and there are fifteen girls in total, including the one who died, but I don't know if there are more. I only saw fourteen when they brought us all into one room and forced us to change.

" And those men went in there. What are they doing there?"

"Owen, this place is an auction house." I cursed and took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Someone is knocking at the door. Listen, Owen, I will tell you when you can get in. The girls need to be put in safety first before you come in. I don't want the girls caught in the crossfire. They are too young to die. I'll give you a signal when I'm ready. Okay, I will open the door. Don't talk."

"Take care."

"I will." Seunghyn pressed a button on his earpiece, and we could all hear what was happening to Lara.

"What took you so long?" We heard a man's voice. And we heard Lara wince in pain. Maybe the man hurt her. I balled my fist tightly beside me.

"Now, all of you fall in line." We heard a man's voice again, and we could hear the sobbing of other girls.

"You go to that door one by one, and someone will guide you from there and follow everything she says, or one of you will suffer the consequences." We heard the same man speak. We continued to listen, but the next thing we heard was a loud thud and a few shrieks.

"Shhh!!! Listen. We need to leave this place." We heard Lara's voice. "Anyone knows where the exit is?"

"I know where," A girl said. "But five men are guarding it, and below there are men doing rounds."

"Don't worry; someone will help us. We only need to leave this building, and we are safe. Now guide the way."

"Owen, do you hear me?"

"Yes."

" Get in. It would help if you distracted the guards so the girls could escape. I'll distract the people inside."

"Be careful, Lara."

"I will. You too."

"Okay, now move," I commanded, and we went to our respective places.