Chapter 124: Brian's Daughter Kidnapped

William was a bit surprised when Brian Mills called him. Their task of protecting Ambrose was over, so why was he contacting him now?

As soon as the call connected, William heard Brian's anxious voice, "Boss, are you in London? I need your help."

"What happened?" William asked, puzzled.

"Yes, boss, my daughter and her sister disappeared in France. I got a call from Ginny saying someone broke into their place and kidnapped her and her sister. Ginny hid under the bed and called me. I recorded the conversation. Based on what Ginny said, it's definitely the Albanians. They have moon and sun tattoos, just like the people who attacked Miss Ambrose in Miami. I suspect they might be retaliating against us," Brian said quickly.

Retaliation? Why would the Albanians retaliate against Brian's daughter? But if what Brian said was true, his daughter was in trouble because of William. So William immediately said, "No problem, I'm heading to Paris now. What do you need me to do, and how long has Ginny been missing?"

"An hour. William, please help me find Ginny. Sam and I can't get to Europe right now. You know what's happening in our country. All of us who used to handle foreign operations are restricted from leaving and under investigation. Even if we secretly leave, we can't get to France within 24 hours. I can only turn to you for help now."

It seemed the White Palace attack yesterday had really angered the US government, even their own people were being investigated. "Okay, leave it to me," William said.

Sam's voice came over the phone, "William, you only have 95 hours. After that time, the Albanians will sell them, and Ginny will never be found. I'll send you all our information soon. Please, William."

"William, please find Ginny. I'll contact some of my old agency friends. When you get to Paris, look for someone named Claude. He and I have worked together a lot. I'll call him to help you."

"Got it. I'll be in Paris in about three hours. Wait for my update, Brian." William hung up the phone, checked his equipment in the storage space, and left the hotel.

On the Eurostar train, William listened to the recording Brian had sent. In the recording, Ginny, crying, told Brian someone had broken into their place and taken Amanda.

Brian asked if they had seen anyone suspicious on the plane. Ginny said no, but mentioned meeting a young man named Pete at the airport who shared a taxi with them to their place.

William listened as Ginny cried, saying the kidnappers were looking for her and she was scared. Brian told Ginny to hide under the bed, hold her phone, and loudly describe everything she saw.

"Dad, they're coming for me," Ginny said in a low, terrified voice.

Brian's voice came through the recording, "Listen, Ginny, this part is very important," Brian paused painfully for two seconds, then continued, "They will come in and find you, and take you. But remember, this is crucial. You have 5 to 10 seconds to put your phone under the bed and loudly describe everything you see—skin color, eye color, height, any special features, scars, bald spots, anything you see, understand?"

Ginny, crying, replied, "Got it, Dad."

Soon, footsteps could be heard in the recording, followed by men talking. William couldn't understand what they were saying. Suddenly, a piercing scream came through his earphones. Ginny's voice then yelled, "Bearded man, six feet tall, moon and sun tattoos on his hand!" Ginny's voice grew distant, indicating she was being dragged away. Ten seconds later, someone picked up the phone.

There was a moment of silence, then Brian's calm yet sinister voice said, "I don't know who you are or what you want. If it's ransom, I can give you money. I have $100,000 cash on hand right now. I can give it all to you, just let my daughter go."

They had earned a lot of money from William recently.

The person on the other end seemed shocked by the $100,000 offer and was silent for a few seconds.

Brian quickly added, "Give me a bank account number, and I'll transfer the $100,000 right now. Just let my daughter go."

"NO," a raspy voice replied, followed by the sound of the phone being hung up.

Brian hurriedly said, "Wait, wait. If you think it's unsafe, I can give you a Swiss bank account password. You can get the $100,000 from a Swiss bank with the password."

"NO," the voice repeated.

Brian, suppressing his anger, said, "Let my daughter go. I'll give you the cash."

The voice on the other end laughed maliciously, "NO, I can sell your daughter for the same amount of money. I enjoy watching you rich Americans cry and suffer."

Brian, provoked by the man's cruelty, gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know what grudge you have against us, but with my decades of special career experience, I can tell you I know many ways to make you terrified. I know many people in special professions. If you let my daughter go now, I will act like nothing happened, and I'll still give you the money. But if not, I will hunt you down, find you, and kill you all."

"Good luck," the man sneered before slamming the phone down.

In the last part of the recording, Brian's voice came through, "William, I beg you, find Ginny. I'll owe you my life. If you can, kill those bastards. I'll use all my connections to protect you. I swear to God, no matter what you do, I'll make sure you're safe. I just want my daughter back in the USA safely."

William shivered at Brian's gritted voice. These kidnappers had really angered the old man.

Just then, William's phone rang. Sam was on the line, "William, I found some useful information. These people are from the border area between Northern Albania and a few other countries, a lawless zone filled with scum. The man talking to Brian is likely named Mark, the chieftain's son. He went to Paris six months ago and is their leader. I'm looking for his photo. I'll send it to you once I have it.

William, you have 93 hours left. Time is tight. Call me anytime if you have questions. Good luck."

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