Ruby's studio was not in a remote area. There were hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets around. Many people were passing by this area during the day, but it was still a little far from the city center.
There were not many pedestrians on the road at this time. The restaurants were open, and there were not many people in the stores. The nightlife of Athana had yet to begin.
There was no obstruction on the way to the studio from the branch road. After driving for more than ten minutes, they did not see a single car. They quickly arrived at their destination.
When the car arrived in the area and had yet to stop at the entrance of the studio, Jasper quickly turned off the engine.
There were a few people gathered at the entrance of the studio. From the back, it looked like everyone's back was stiff.
"Jasper..."
Before Olivia could finish her sentence, Jasper had already gotten out of the car, he was not even bothered to close the door. Olivia hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt and followed after him.
Before he got close, he heard a rough voice. Jasper frowned and had a bad feeling.
"You'd better not have any schemes. If you can go back to the restaurant and finish the meal, I'll return the phone to you after this is over." The person did not sound like he was not from Athana based on his accent. It sounded a bit strange.
Jasper stopped in his tracks and quickly checked his surroundings.
There was a van with no license plate parked at the entrance of the studio. Olivia did not know what was going on. Before Jasper could stop her, she had already rushed to the entrance of the studio.
Seeing that things seemed fishy, Olivia was about to call her father and the police. However, before she could unlock her phone, a dart pierced through her phone. She subconsciously let go of her phone and it fell to the ground. The screen was shattered as the phone hit the ground. If she was a second late, her hand would have been crippled.
Realizing that she was being impulsive, Olivia chose to not act up for the moment. Her eyes were filled with coldness as she stood still and waited for Jasper's command.
Liam was already injured. The four tires of Ruby's car were punctured. She hid behind her brother. Liam guarded her tightly. He spread his arms apart. His arms were still bleeding. He did not want the six people who covered their faces to lay their hands on her sister.
There were a lot of phones on the ground. Thirty minutes ago, six masked people suddenly appeared in this area. They broke into every store with guns and searched for mobile phones. They even warned everyone that if they dared to leave the shop, they would not leave this place alive.
No one knew if they were holding real guns or not. However, the knives in their hands were surely real, and the darts on their boots were real. They trembled as they willingly handed over their phones.
The few masked people took the phones and went to the studio for Ruby. Two of them stabbed Ruby's car tires.
It was obvious that they were coming to kidnap Ruby from the studio. The four bodyguards in the shadow realized the masked people were coming for the studio and rushed forward to guard in front of Ruby. Liam also stood in front of his sister and told her not to come out and lock the door.
After a struggle, the four bodyguards were defeated by the six masked people. After all, they all had weapons in their hands. In the end, every bodyguard was injured to varying degrees. All of their legs were broken.
The masked people were ruthless. They never hesitated when they hurt someone. It was obvious that they were professionals that were often involved in this kind of situation. Liam often watched television dramas, especially police dramas.
After the bodyguards fell, the few masked people smashed the studio door. In order to protect his sister, Liam fought with them with all his might. His legs and hands were cut by knives several times.
The two of the masked men suffered some injuries after the fight. The other four were also injured to varying degrees, but it was not serious. Moreover, these people did not seem to feel any pain at all.
Seeing Jasper walk over, Liam had a feeling that he would survive that day. He had never been this happy to see Jasper in the past. In the distance, Olivia remained still and looked at Liam.
Jasper saw Liam who was injured and Ruby who was hiding behind her younger brother with a pale face. Her clothes were torn from the struggle previously, and her entire sleeve was gone.
He took off his jacket and draped it over Ruby. Suppressing his anger, he used his gentlest tone to say, "Be good. Get inside. I'll handle it."
Ruby's eyes were filled with tears. "I don't have my phone to call Dad. They have hacked all the surveillance cameras here. What should I do?"
Tears trickled down her cheeks. There was grievance, fear, and worry on her face.
Jasper's heart clenched and his jaw tightened. He comforted her, "It's okay, I'm here."
Then he turned to speak to Liam. "Liam, bring your sister in. No matter what happens, don't let her out."
Liam responded, "Jasper, these people seem sketchy. They're not from Athana. I suspect that they are hired foreigners. They have guns. Be careful." The last few words were said very softly.
"Well, they don't have any bullets," Jasper said with certainty.
After watching Ruby enter the building, Jasper blocked the door and was finally able to let his anger out. He used Arillion to communicate with the masked people in front of him. "Are you guys mercenaries who smuggled into this country?"
One of the mercenaries cursed under his breath. "Shit, call that idiot and tell him to increase the pay."
Upon hearing this, Jasper smiled. "Looks like you're here to kidnap someone without a grasp of the situation. Are you here for the woman?"
He was stalling for time to send a signal. As he spoke, he touched his wristwatch. When he saw so many phones on the ground, he knew what was going on. When he stepped into the scene, he willingly threw his phone on the ground.
A few seconds later, a message was sent. Jasper nodded at Olivia.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Turning Of The Tide (Natalie and Trevon)