Free Web NovelChapter 91: Chapter 91: The Kidnappers Were Hired by Vivian Linton
Before she could finish, she was violently dragged out.
She was thrown to the ground, sprawling on the road.
Two men had grabbed her. Their faces were concealed by black masks, their features impossible to make out.
She tried to struggle, but one of the men grabbed her hair viciously. freewebnoveℓ.com
"AH!"
Holly Sinclair cried out, a sharp pain making her scalp tingle as she winced.
Then, she was rudely shoved into a van.
Brandon Sterling had already been thrown in ahead of her. His eyes were closed; he was unconscious.
A moment later, her vision went black.
A black cloth was tied over her eyes, plunging her into darkness.
Panic flooded her. She was so terrified that her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Who... who are you people? What... what do you want? Money?" Holly Sinclair asked, her voice trembling.
She was so terrified she could barely get the words out.
No one answered her.
The van drove on.
"You want money, right? Name your price. Just let us go, and you can have whatever you want," Holly Sinclair said, desperately trying to save them while suppressing her fear.
One of the kidnappers was tempted. "Boss, she said any amount is fine. Maybe we should..."
"Do you have any fucking professional ethics? We take people’s money to solve their problems. Since we’ve already taken Miss Linton’s money, we have to do the job right."
The leader cursed loudly.
"Yes, yes, you’re right, Boss." The underling nodded repeatedly, not daring to say another word.
Holly Sinclair froze when she heard what the leader said.
’Miss Linton...’
’Vivian Linton!!’
She became agitated and yelled, "What Miss Linton? Is it Vivian Linton? Was it her—"
Before she could finish, a sharp pain struck the back of her neck.
And she plunged into an endless darkness.
...
"Holly, Holly?"
Holly Sinclair woke to a deliberately hushed voice calling her name.
She slowly opened her eyes, only to be met with pitch-black darkness.
It was now night.
They seemed to be in a thicket of shoulder-high bushes.
Taking in her surroundings, Holly Sinclair spoke with difficulty, her voice hoarse. "Brandon, we—"
"Shh!"
But before she could finish, he quickly covered her mouth.
Just then, a rustling sound came from beyond the bushes.
"Find them?"
The lead kidnapper asked his accomplice in a gruff voice.
"Haven’t seen them."
The other two kidnappers shook their heads.
"Damn it! Where’d they run off to..." the leader cursed, ordering his men, "You two go that way. Split up and search!"
Soon, the three kidnappers went elsewhere to search.
Holly Sinclair’s heart, which had been lodged in her throat, finally settled back into her chest once she was sure the kidnappers were gone.
But the fear hadn’t left her, and her body still trembled.
"They’re gone now. We’ll be fine," Brandon Sterling said reassuringly.
His own voice was tight, revealing that he was just as on edge.
"Mm-hmm." Holly Sinclair nodded distractedly.
Although they were temporarily safe, she couldn’t relax.
Night had fallen. They had no way to call for help and were lost in the mountains.
They were still in a desperate situation.
The two of them conferred in low voices. Their top priority was to find a cave.
One, to shelter from the cold. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Two, to hide from wild animals.
Fortunately, luck was on their side. Half an hour later, they found a cave.
The cave was dry. Inside, there was a burnt-out fire pit and some dry branches.
It was probably a place where local hunters would rest.
The two of them went inside the cave and started a fire.
The fire brought both light and warmth.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Brandon Sterling looked her over, his voice filled with concern.
"I’m fine. What about you, Brandon? Are you okay?" Holly Sinclair shook her head, looking him over as well.
"I’m fine."
"But I saw them hit you with a club..."
"It’s not enough to kill me," he said nonchalantly.
Holly Sinclair asked, "What happened while I was unconscious? How did we escape?"
"I woke up soon after they knocked me out. I pretended to still be unconscious, and when they all got out of the van to relieve themselves, I carried you and ran into these woods." Brandon Sterling briefly explained what had happened.
Holly Sinclair’s face was pale, her mind a mess.
"Holly, don’t worry. We’ll rest here for the night. When the sun comes up tomorrow, we’ll find a way out."
Brandon Sterling said gently, adding more wood to the fire.
"Mm-hmm."
Holly Sinclair could only nod.
She was hungry, exhausted, and cold—she couldn’t move another step.
All she could do was wait.
Later that night, the firewood burned out.
The temperature dropped sharply.
Traumatized and frozen, Holly Sinclair started running a low fever.
She drifted in and out of a dazed, fitful sleep.
She hugged herself, curled into a ball, her whole body shivering.
Brandon Sterling took off his jacket and draped it over her.
But Holly Sinclair kept muttering about how cold she was.
...
「Dawn broke.」
As the first ray of winter sun rose over the horizon, Tristan Sterling and his men finally found Holly Sinclair.
He rushed into the cave, frantic with worry, only to see—
Holly Sinclair curled up in Brandon Sterling’s arms, fast asleep.
Tristan Sterling froze.
The worry on his face instantly shattered.
A storm brewed in his dark eyes.
"Oh my god!"
The first to cry out was Vivian Linton, who was right behind Tristan Sterling.
Her dramatic gasp startled Holly Sinclair from her hard-won sleep.
She slowly opened her eyes and met the man’s cold, predatory gaze. Her groggy mind couldn’t tell if what she was seeing was a dream or reality.
"You... you two..."
Vivian Linton was dumbstruck, her tone one of utter heartbreak. "Holly Sinclair! How could you do something so shameless? And after Tristan was so worried about you the entire time... you betrayed him."
Holly Sinclair sat up, rubbing her throbbing forehead.
Faced with Vivian Linton’s accusation, she was momentarily unable to form a rebuttal.
Brandon Sterling scrambled to his feet and walked toward Tristan Sterling. "Tristan, it’s not what it looks like..."
WHAM!
Before he could finish, Tristan Sterling’s fist slammed viciously into the corner of Brandon’s mouth.
"Tristan?" Brandon Sterling stumbled back two steps, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
THUD!
Tristan Sterling followed up with a kick to Brandon’s abdomen.
The blow sent Brandon Sterling to one knee, a pained expression on his face.
Holly Sinclair’s head finally started to clear.
"Tristan Sterling, stop!"
As Tristan Sterling moved to press his attack, she scrambled to her feet and rushed forward to stop him.
The man ignored her, his sinister gaze fixed on Brandon Sterling’s face.
Holly Sinclair’s heart pounded. She had just spread her arms to shield Brandon when Tristan Sterling casually shoved her aside.
She lost her footing and fell to the ground.
"Tristan Sterling, I told you to stop!"
Seeing him raise his fist to strike again, Holly Sinclair ignored her scraped palms and roared at him.
WHAM!
Brandon Sterling took another punch.
Holly Sinclair was furious.
’He won’t stop, will he?’
’Fine!’
A ferocious glint appeared in Holly Sinclair’s eyes as she suddenly lunged at Vivian Linton.
"Ah!"
