Chapter 184 Hostages
“Where’s Shaun? Speak now or I’ll start killing one of you every minute,” threatened one of the attackers.
“We honestly have no idea!”
“We’re not involved in any of his business. Please, just let us go.”
“Name your price! Anything you want, just don’t hurt me!”
“I’m the chairman of Square Group. Let me go, and I’ll ensure you receive whatever you want!”
The hostages were all begging for mercy.
“Quiet! All I want is for Shaun to deliver what I need. And yes, I’ll take your money too. You all have five minutes to send a million dollars to this account.”
The man flung a piece of paper with the account details into the crowd.
Renee and William, dressed in the clothes of the two dead thugs, stepped into the banquet hall on the first floor. They paused to survey the room and saw Ryland and Claude.
Ryland, still badly injured, was weakly cradled in Claude’s arms. His face looked pale and his body was frail.
The thugs had demanded everyone to crouch down, but since Ryland was unable to, Claude sat on the floor, holding Ryland protectively. Their closeness stood out oddly given the danger they were in.
Renee moved towards them with a gun and suddenly kicked Ryland.
Claude responded with a fierce glare, tightening his grip on Ryland as if
ready to attack Renee if she dared to kick him again.
Renee was stunned.
Just then, Ryland stirred in Claude’s arms. He barely managed to open his eyes and fixed his gaze on Renee.
Ryland’s eyes then widened in alarm. Fearing they might get unwanted attention, he quickly averted his gaze and squeezed Claude’s hand. “Don’t create a scene,” he whispered.
Claude, surprisingly compliant, relaxed his fists and stopped glaring at Renee.
“Have you two found anything?” the man suddenly asked Renee and William.
Renee couldn’t speak without getting herself exposed, so William quickly responded, “We didn’t find any clues, but we spotted a group heading upstairs to the third floor. We’re not sure if Shaun is with them.”
“Then go check the third floor,” the man ordered.
Renee and William didn’t move initially. Noticing their reluctance, the man’s expression darkened with a scowl.
Left with no other choice, Renee led William out of the banquet hall.
Once outside, they made their way to the restroom, moving more freely in the thugs‘ clothes and masks.
“The restroom vent should take us right into the banquet hall,” Renee
noted.
“I think if we take out the leader first, the rest will fall into line easier,” William suggested.
True to their plan, the vent from the restroom led directly into the banquet hall. Renee, smaller and more agile than William, was chosen to crawl through the vent.
“Be careful,” they both warned each other at the same time, their voices overlapping in harmony.
William went back to the banquet hall to report back to the gang leader. “We didn’t find Shaun.”
“How could you not find him? He couldn’t have just vanished into thin air. One of you has to pay now,” the leader snapped.
Without another word, he shot a middle–aged man in the knee.
The man clutched his knee, wincing in agony.
“Silence! Make another sound, and I’ll shoot you again.”
The man quieted down immediately. Tears ran down his cheeks as he sobbed softly.
“Shaun! Come out now, or I start killing everyone you invited here!” the leader yelled threateningly.
