Seeing N''s agitated state, Damon pulled her into his arms. "I know. I know. I feel the same way. But we can''t panic. The more we panic, the more mistakes we''ll make. Buddy will be okay. I promise."


    N gripped the front of his suit jacket, her tears soaking into his shirt. She tried to stay calm, but the thought of Mason in danger made her tremble with fear.


    Damon gently patted her back and spoke softly. "Let''s go upstairs. We''ll wait for Gabriel''s call and any updates from my team."


    They went upstairs.


    N sat on the couch, her eyes fixed on her phone, anxiously waiting for Gabriel''s call.


    Damon stood by the window, his face grim, staring out as his thoughts churned. The tension in the room was palpable as the minutes dragged on.


    Finally, N''s phone rang.


    She snatched it up, her breath hitching when she saw Gabriel''s name on the


    screen.


    Answering quickly, she asked, "Have you decided? Will you let me trade ces with Buddy?"


    "I will," Gabriel replied. "But you''ll have toe to a location I choose, alone. Buddy will be sent to a different location, and Damon can pick him up there. You must both leave at the same time. If you try anything, you won''t get a second chance."


    N let out a shaky breath, her sweaty palm gripping the phone tightly. "Okay, I agree."


    Gabriel gave her two locations-one in the southern part of the city, the other in the north. Both were about 20 kilometers from Prospectus Technology.


    "At 6:00 p.m., you and Damon will each head to the locations I''ve chosen. If I don''t see you there within an hour, you''ll never see Buddy again," Gabriel warned before hanging up.


    N turned to Damon. "If your team doesn''t update by six, we''ll do what Gabriel says."


    Damon nodded grimly. "Alright."


    He called in Spencer and instructed him to deploy men near the two locations. Once Mason was picked up, they would retrieve N immediately.


    "Yes, Mr. Sumner. I''ll handle it," Spencer assured him.


    ...


    Time ticked by as Spencer''s team positioned themselves around the designated locations.


    Before 5:00 p.m., Damon''s phone buzzed with an update.


    "Mr. Sumner, we''ve been tracking Gabriel''s phone signal since his call with Ms. Kinsey. We''ve narrowed his location to a five-kilometer radius near Remscent Street," the team reported.  en


    Damon''s expression grew colder. "Five kilometers near Remscent Street? Do you know how many people live in that area?"


    "We''re continuing to trace the signal and should have a more precise location


    soon," the team member replied.


    "Find him before 6:00 p.m.," Damon ordered, his tone icy.


    ...


    In Unit 502 on the fifth floor of an


    apartment building, Gabriel sat one the couch while Mason, tightly bound,y on the floor. Cent belongs to


    Mason leered at Gabriel with fierce, dark eyes, his anger unshaken despite the situation.


    It was this bad man again—the one who had locked him up in hispany before!


    Gabriel stared coldly at the boy''s face, so simr to Damon''s. "Keep looking at me like that, and I''ll gouge your eyes out."


    He expected the threat to reduce Mason to tears, but the boy didn''t flinch. He kept staring, unyielding.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!