Janet looked up with difficulty.
A middle-aged woman had opened the car door. She was wearing a red down jacket and a white knitted scarf. She looked very... ordinary.
"Oh, you're tied up!" The woman spoke with a strong Seacisco accent. As she spoke, she immediately helped Janet up, untied the rope around her wrists, and ripped the tape off her mouth. "Get out of the car quickly. You've run into some bad people."
Janet clambered out of the car as quickly as she could. Her lips were chapped and her hair was a mess.
After helping Janet out, the woman hurried to pick up all the thumbtacks on the ground. She grumbled, "How troublesome! I have to pick them all up as soon as possible, lest they puncture the tires of other cars."
Still in a state of shock, Janet looked around in a daze. There were many cars coming and going. Perhaps this place was near the highway, so there weren't that many pedestrians.
When she came back to her senses, she helped the woman pick up the remaining thumbtacks and handed them to her. She thanked the woman and asked incredulously, "Did you break their tires to save me?"
The woman carefully tucked the thumbtacks into her pocket and said with a kind smile, "It's not a big deal. I just happened to be in the area, buying some groceries. When I saw that you were shoved into a car by two men, I knew I had to help. My family used to run a Boxing Gym, so I know some combat skills. I hurried to buy these thumbtacks from a hardware store and planted them here to burst their tires. There are many human traffickers in the area. You should be more careful."
Janet smiled at her bitterly. She didn't expect Tyler to be so cruel and lawless.
The middle-aged woman shrugged and said, "Anyway, I've got to go now. You'd better leave here, too. Go somewhere safe. Those human traffickers might come back soon. Maybe they'll bring reinforcements."
"What should I do? Tyler's a bad guy. I can't let him get away with this!" Janet glared at the man who was lying unconscious on the ground. She wanted to stay and make sure he got what he deserved, but she was also afraid.
"Don't worry. I'll call the police. You'd better leave now, young girl. I know some combat skills. They can't hurt me." The woman's tone was very calm. She pointed down the road and said, "There's a shopping mall up ahead. There are many people there. No matter how bold these human traffickers are, they won't dare to strike there."
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