Chapter 33 Zeroed in on an Area
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Also, William told Benjamin. The paternity test with Nina is on your nightstand. Benjamin, that fortune- teller was spot-on.
“With Nina around, you’ve pulled through.
“It was Nina who saved you. But now, our Nina…”
William had wanted to say more, but Benjamin had hung up.
After hanging up the call, Benjamin was quick to piece together the timeline.
Nina was two and a half years old, which pointed to that fateful encounter over three years ago.
In his life, that was the only night he’d been with a woman.
Afterward, seeing her leave without a word, clearly not wanting any ties, he’d let it go.
Little did Benjamin know that a single night would bring him a child.
The sudden change in his status left him little time to absorb it.
Without hesitation, he picked up his phone and got in touch with the police about Nina’s search.
“Mr. Benjamin Graham, just now, Mr. Daniel Graham got a call from the kidnappers. They’re demanding a ransom of 300 million dollars to be transferred to an overseas account within two days. The call was encrypted, so we can’t trace it yet,” the police informed him.
Benjamin gave a grunt in response and headed straight to the study.
Firing up a computer, he started a technical trace on the kidnapper’s number himself.
Half an hour later, he zeroed in on an area-a range of mountains outside Averton.
The outer part was a tourist spot, while the inner part was an undeveloped zone off-limits to outsiders, rumored to be a dangerous place.
Once he’d locked down the location, he notified the police first.
Then, grabbing his car keys, he hopped into an SUV from the garage and took off.
Meanwhile, in the hands of Alistair and Nancy, Nina had transformed from a clean, adorable baby into a dirty mess.
The poor thing hadn’t had a proper meal.
Pouting, with only her big, wet eyes clean on her dusty little face, she stammered, “I food.”
Alistair just shot her a glance and ignored her.
Before the kidnapping, Nancy had quite liked Nina.
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Chapter 33 Zeroed in on an Area
So, she took pity on the little one and handed her a piece of bread.
The bread tasted awful.
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Nina nibbled at it, tears welling up in her eyes.
She missed her mom so much, and Daniel and her grandpa, too!
“Giving you something to eat, and you’re still crying? Cut it out!” Alistair snapped, annoyed by her tears.
With a menacing look, he reached out his hand and threateningly prodded Nina’s tiny head. “Listen up, kid! From now on, you’d better stay quiet and still. This place is so off-the-grid, no one’s gonna come sniffing around.
“And if you mess with me, I’ll dig a hole right here and bury you alive,” he growled, his voice laced with
venom.
Alistair wasn’t joking around.
He had every intention of killing Nina after getting his hands on the money. Then, he’d jet off to some foreign land and live the high life.
Despite her tender age, Nina was far from naive.
She could feel the cold, hard intent to kill radiating from Alistair.
Her little nose twitched, and fighting back the tears welling up in her eyes under Alistair’s impatient glare, she sniffled.
“No cry…” she stammered, lifting her chubby little hand to wipe at her eyes, trying to put on a brave face.
Then, she sat there obediently, nibbling on the dry, crusty bread, not making a sound or causing any fuss.
Seeing that she was being good, Alistair let out a disdainful snort and turned his attention away from her.
They were taking refuge in a naturally-formed, oddly-shaped cave.
As they made their way deeper inside, there was a rudimentary living space that had been somewhat modified by human hands.
Alistair had been here before and knew that this place was like a maze, with passages leading to other parts
of the mountains.
Once the money hit his account, he’d follow those hidden paths and disappear without a trace.
No one would ever be able to track him down.
Sitting on a rickety old bed that creaked with every movement, Alistair took out his phone and started chatting with his accomplice.
“Hey, Alistair. You really think Daniel’s gonna shell out 300 million dollars for this little girl? I mean, is she really worth that much?” Nancy piped up, her voice filled with doubt.
Nancy had been Nina’s teacher for a couple of months.
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