Chapter 29: The Start

"Black Fox" and his two teammates observed as their targets were smoothly talked into taking a cab by the slick-talking hustler from the airport, prompting some marveling. "Do you think this hustler is part of Mr. C's plan? How else could everything be happening exactly as he described? And he told us to watch the girls get kidnapped without intervening, just to make sure they don't get hurt! Is this some rich folks' new game? Protect, kidnap, rescue... Damn, it must be nice to be wealthy!"

The teammate starting the car to follow chimed in, "I don't care what rich fantasy this big shot wants to play out; all I know is we received our orders directly from the highest levels at the Continental Hotel. Whatever he wants, if we serve him well, maybe he'll take a liking to our squad, right? Could be our big break."

"Black Fox" halted his teammate's daydreaming, "Stop dreaming. If what we discussed is true—if he's just playing some twisted game—imagine how warped his psyche must be? I'm not interested in that; I just want to complete our mission and improve our rating at the Continental Hotel. Enough chitchat, let's keep up with that cab."

In the cab, the two girls, oblivious and laughing, had already had all their secrets skillfully extracted by Pete, who was now just steps away from confirming their residence to have the Albanian traffickers abduct them—promising him another payday.

After dropping off the naive sisters at their destination and watching them enter the building, Pete, without any attachments, told the driver to move on and sent out the message to the Albanian trafficking ring. The arrogant and long-operating gang in Paris didn't hesitate. Led by a man named Mark, they quickly mobilized towards the address provided.

All their movements were closely monitored by the second group of mercenaries, stationed nearby, who relayed everything back to Mr. C, Castle.

"Ha ha ha, the plot is finally unfolding. Damn, it feels great to be the puppet master behind the scenes!" Castle laughed aloud while watching the live feed in his hotel room.

Mark and his thugs arrived at Amanda's relative's apartment building in two SUVs and strutted into the building like they owned the place.

"Black Fox" and a teammate, stationed across from Kem's and Amanda's apartment, were using cameras and laser listening devices to observe everything and send the feed back to their employer.

At that moment, Kem, feeling guilty for not staying at the hotel designated by her father, was apologizing over the phone in the bathroom, while Amanda was obliviously playing on a dance machine, unaware of the looming danger.

"Okay, Dad, I know, I promise I won't..." Kem was speaking to her father, Bryan, when she suddenly heard a scream from outside. Peering out the bathroom window, the sight that met her eyes terrified her.

Amanda was being grabbed by several menacing-looking men, ready to be taken away. Kem stammered in panic, "Dad... Dad... someone's trying to kidnap Amanda... what do I do?"

Bryan, already aware of the unfolding events from the US, was frantic yet managed to remain calm due to his extensive spy training and experience. Knowing he couldn't immediately fly over the Atlantic to her rescue, he aimed to give his daughter instructions to gather as much information as possible.

"Kem, where are you now? Bathroom? Go to your room and hide immediately. Keep the phone on, and try to gather as much information about those men as you can... hurry..."

Bryan's voice was urgent yet composed as he advised his daughter.

Following her father's instructions, Kem hid in her bedroom but was eventually discovered by Mark.

"Here comes the most iconic scene from 'Taken,'" Castle perked up, watching as Mark picked up Kem's dropped phone and placed it to his ear.

Just like in the original film, although Bryan was shaking with rage, he managed to utter the classic lines in a chillingly calm voice: "I don't know who you are... I don't know what you want... If you are looking for ransom... I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career... skills that make me a nightmare for people like you... If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you... But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you... and I will kill you."

"Ha, Bryan is one tough father. Now, I need to make sure Amanda is safe and somehow get the information to Bryan in France. Yeah, I've decided to keep playing the old man, make an anonymous call to give him a tip. Whether he believes it or not, that's not my concern!

These damn Albanian gangsters, so blatantly obvious and yet they don't even notice two people right in front of them—it's like they're begging to be taken down!"

Contentedly watching the scene unfold as it did in the movie, Castle felt fully satisfied with how things were going according to plan. He was managing to get involved without exposing himself.

After seeing the thug on the monitor arrogantly say "Good luck" into the phone, Castle immediately contacted his mercenary team leader "Black Fox" again to confirm the next steps. He insisted that from this moment on, the mercenaries must not let the two girls out of their sight and instructed "Black Fox" to intervene immediately if the traffickers attempted to inject either girl with drugs, then to rescue her.

Black Fox, upon receiving his employer's orders and witnessing events unfold exactly as the employer had scripted, couldn't help but sigh deeply. He was increasingly convinced that this whole operation might be a game designed by the mysterious caller.

Despite his doubts, his job had to be done. Leading his team, they followed Mark and his gang's vehicles as they headed towards Paradise Street.

Communicating with the second group, which had been surveilling from Paradise Street, Black Fox slightly relaxed his tense mood. After passing on the employer's instructions to the second group, he ordered them to take the opportunity before the traffickers returned to stealthily install a few concealed cameras around the building. This was crucial in case of any unforeseen incidents, allowing them to act swiftly.

Especially given the employer's warning that the traffickers might forcibly inject the girls with drugs, real-time monitoring was necessary. A failure here would not only be a professional embarrassment but would also shatter the bold claims they had made to their employer.

Black Fox's team efficiently followed the gang's cars, and the preparation to intercept or intervene was set. The operation was a delicate balance of surveillance, preparedness, and readiness to act at a moment's notice, all orchestrated by the unseen hand of Mr. C—Castle, who continued to watch everything from his hotel, enjoying the role of a puppet master dictating the course of events from behind the scenes.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter