Free Web NovelChapter 102: Chapter 102: Attacked
Happy times always fly by.
It felt like they were over in the blink of an eye.
Sophie Shaw was still lost in the memory of the afternoon—playing pool, drinking tea, and chatting with Alaric Blackwood and his family in the billiards room.
’It was so wonderfully relaxing.’ ƒreewebɳovel.com
Dinner was just as harmonious and comfortable. Afterward, Alaric Blackwood held her hand as they strolled near the old residence. At eight o’clock, he led her to say goodbye to the elders, and they got into the car together.
Her phone buzzed.
Sophie Shaw pulled her phone from her bag. It was a message from Joseph Shaw: [Mr. Kane was buried today.]
She silently put the phone away and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes.
BUZZ BUZZ—
Two more messages came in, one after the other.
She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and pulled out her phone again. They were also from Joseph Shaw.
[Sophie, it’s Sunday tomorrow. Do you have time to come home for a meal?]
[Joel misses you.]
Because of the incident where Joel had lost her mother’s necklace, Sophie Shaw felt something was off and couldn’t shake a persistent feeling of resentment.
She suppressed all her impulses and didn’t reply to Joseph Shaw’s messages, stuffing the phone back into her bag once more.
Alaric Blackwood glanced at her. Seeing her eyes closed, he assumed she was tired and decided to take a shortcut he often used.
The shortcut from the old residence to Maplewood Estate ran through a very remote stretch of road. The whole street was desolate. Day or night, there was hardly any traffic, and there were no streetlights or traffic cameras on either side.
Tonight, however, this road was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Someone had deliberately placed a nearly invisible, sharp roadblock on the street. The moment the car’s tire rolled over it, it was instantly punctured.
Alaric Blackwood heard a PFFT, and then the car began to lose control due to the blowout.
He didn’t slam on the brakes. Instead, he steadied the steering wheel, gradually reduced his speed, and let the car slow down naturally before pulling over to the side of the road.
He performed the entire maneuver with intense focus and calm.
The car had just come to a stop when, before he could even pull out his phone to call for backup, a dozen figures swarmed out from both sides of the road. Each one had a signature crew cut, wore black clothes, and carried a steel pipe.
Alaric Blackwood recognized five of the faces. They were the same thugs from the barbecue restaurant who had started a fight, been taken to the police station, demanded compensation from him, and ultimately only received two hundred fifty for minor injuries.
’Are they unhappy with the compensation? Think it was too little, so they’re waiting for a chance to retaliate?’
He frowned, scanning the crew-cut thugs surrounding them. He raised a hand and gently patted Sophie Shaw’s shoulder. "Honey, wake up."
The car had been so steady from the blowout to the stop that Sophie Shaw, drowsy and about to fall asleep, hadn’t realized there had been an accident at all.
She opened her eyes and looked at Alaric Blackwood. His brow was tightly furrowed, and he turned his grim face to meet her gaze.
"Call the police."
"And... don’t get out of the car."
With that, Alaric Blackwood unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the driver’s door.
Just as he was swinging one long leg out to exit the car, Sophie Shaw noticed the men holding steel pipes.
Although this stretch of road had no streetlights, the car’s headlights were on, bright enough for her to see the situation clearly.
She grabbed Alaric Blackwood’s arm and shook her head at him.
"It’s okay, don’t be afraid."
"Don’t get out of the car. It’s too dangerous."
"I can’t listen to my wife this time."
If he didn’t get out and face them, they would charge over with their steel pipes and smash the car. He had to ensure Sophie Shaw’s safety and buy her time to call the police and for them to arrive.
Therefore, he had to draw their attention.
"These people..."
"They blocked us here on purpose. It’s premeditated."
He patted the back of Sophie Shaw’s hand. "Call the police first. Remember, don’t get out."
After speaking, he firmly removed her hand, quickly got out, and slammed the door shut, locking it with the key fob.
He stripped off his cumbersome overcoat and tossed it onto the car’s hood, simultaneously rolling up the sleeves of his sweater. His gaze was cold and heavy, stripped of his usual devil-may-care attitude, as he stared coldly at the dozen or so men closing in.
He stared at the crew-cut leader, the corner of his lip twitching into a smirk. "Two-fifty. Long time no see."
"You motherf—"
The crew-cut leader was livid at Alaric Blackwood’s arrogance. Just as he was about to erupt with curses, one of his underlings yelled, "Boss, the broad in the car is calling the cops!"
"What are you standing around for? Smash the car! Get that woman out of there first."
As soon as the boss gave the order, the underling swung his steel pipe and charged toward the passenger side of the car.
Alaric Blackwood launched into a furious flying kick, knocking the underling to the ground.
He bent down and punched the goon in the face. While the man was dazed, Alaric unceremoniously snatched the steel pipe from his hand and turned to face the men who were rapidly surrounding him.
Sophie Shaw dialed the emergency number. Watching him fight the mob, she anxiously pleaded for help from the police.
"Ma’am, what is your current location?"
"We’re at..."
She didn’t know where she was. There wasn’t even a street sign around.
"The middle of Wren Street."
Alaric Blackwood shouted, finding a spare moment in the chaos to remind her.
Before Sophie Shaw could repeat it, the officer on the other end of the line had already heard Alaric Blackwood. The officer told her to stay calm and hidden, and that they were dispatching units immediately.
But on such a remote road, it would take time for the police to arrive.
Sophie Shaw’s heart was in her throat as she watched Alaric Blackwood.
Though the man’s movements were agile, he was badly outnumbered, and every one of his opponents was armed. He couldn’t fend them all off.
Seeing two thugs swing their steel pipes and rush the car, smashing them against the passenger-side window, Sophie Shaw quickly scrambled into the back seat.
Alaric Blackwood noticed the danger on Sophie Shaw’s side, but he was pinned down and couldn’t break free.
"AH!"
A scream pierced the air.
Alaric Blackwood looked toward Sophie Shaw and saw that two of the thugs had completely shattered the car window. They reached inside, grabbed her by the hair, and were forcefully dragging her out.
"Don’t touch her!"
Distracted for a moment, he took a hard blow to the back with a steel pipe.
Pain shot through him. He grit his teeth, glared at the man who had hit him, and as the attacker swung his pipe again, Alaric kicked him square in the stomach.
The man fell, sprawling on his back. Alaric Blackwood spun around and took down another, but took another hit to his shoulder from behind. frёewebηovel.cѳm
At the same time, Sophie Shaw had been dragged out of the car.
She fell to the ground, and the thug who had pulled her out yanked her up by the hair.
"Let go!"
She lifted her foot and kicked furiously at the thug’s knee, striking the same spot over and over. The man cried out in pain and angrily slapped her across the face.
She stumbled, but as the thug’s hand swung toward her again, she raised her foot and kicked him hard in the groin.
"AARGH—"
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night sky.
The thug clutched his jewels and collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.
Sophie Shaw quickly picked up the steel pipe the thug had dropped and ran recklessly toward Alaric Blackwood.
She didn’t know the first thing about fighting, just wildly swung the pipe in her hands. Her mind was consumed with helping Alaric Blackwood, and she charged forward, completely oblivious to another of the car-smashing thugs closing in from behind.
