The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 129

She never would have guessed the boy was actually kidnapped by criminals.

Talk about terrible timing. If she hadn’t come up the mountain today looking for pigments, no one would have ever thought to search for Cody here.

“Let go of me! I want to go home! I want to go home…” Cody sobbed and struggled, then bit down hard on the short, heavyset man’s hand.

“Ow! You little brat, you actually bit me!” The guy got mad and raised his hand to hit Cody.

A tall, skinny kidnapper stepped in, trying to keep the peace. “Hey, don’t hit him. He’s just a kid.”

“This little troublemaker won’t stop crying. Maybe we should just give him another sedative.”

He shot Cody a look. “Mr. Heath, you better behave, or you’re getting a shot.”

Cody instantly went quiet, terror in his eyes. Nothing scared him more than needles.

Sniffling, he whimpered, “I want to go home…”

“As soon as your dad pays up, you’ll be home in no time. For now, just hang in there,” the tall one said in a half-gentle voice, carrying him back into the tent.

Lucie’s heart was pounding. “Cody’s been kidnapped,” she whispered, eyes scanning the camp.

Five kidnappers. There were probably more somewhere, and they definitely had weapons. There was no way she and Elio could take them by themselves.

“We need to remember this spot and get down the mountain to call the police,” she whispered.

Elio was crouched, watching every move the kidnappers made. “Lucie, stay here. Don’t move,” he murmured.

Before she could stop him, he was already slipping around the back of the tents, moving low and quiet.

Panic shot through her. “Elio, what are you doing? Don’t do anything crazy!” she called, barely above a whisper.

“There’s too many of them. If we mess this up, we’ll just get caught too. We need to get help,” she thought, frustrated. She’d brought a satellite phone, but Elio had lost it when his bag went over the cliff. There was no signal here—; getting down the mountain was their only shot at rescue.

Elio glanced back at her, grinning with that reckless, charming smile. “Shh. Just stay put. I’ll get the kid.”

“Don’t… it’s too dangerous,” she pleaded, voice shaking.

But he slipped away, darting like a shadow between the trees, sneaking closer to the camp.

The kidnappers were distracted, arguing over food.

“Hand me a water and pass the bread.”

“I gotta pee.”

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