Casey's mind went blank for a moment. Thankfully, he wasn't the one driving; his current state of emotional upheaval might have led to disaster on this bustling highway.
His voice was gruff and unpleasant as he turned to Toby, "I asked you to protect her, didn't I? How could she just disappear?"
Toby quickly briefed Casey about what had happened. The restaurant was equipped with security cameras, and despite a power outage, they were able to view the footage due to the cameras being on a separate circuit.
Toby was highly concerned, but his professional instinct forced him to remain calm as he analyzed the situation for Casey. "Mr. Dempsey, not being able to protect Ms. Salotti is completely on me. But the people who kidnapped her are very cunning. They hid in the restroom, cut off the restaurant's power as soon as they had control of the situation, and judging from their smooth operation, they likely had been monitoring Ms. Salotti's phone, knowing we had reservations."
Just the fact that they had been able to tap into her phone was a clear sign that they were no amateurs.
Casey took a deep breath, quickly regaining his composure. "Send me all the footage you have. I have two suspects in mind: Brett and Nathaniel. Get more people from the Dempsey family to investigate Nathaniel. I'll contact Brett. Also, send me the route that Izabella was taken along. I'm heading there right now."
"Understood."
Toby had already sent people to investigate the license plate number and monitor the route the kidnappers' car took via street cameras. But not all roads had cameras, especially in rural areas where multiple paths made it difficult to track. Every second mattered, and the fear of Izabella being in danger and getting hurt was unbearable.
The last time Izabella was taken by Nathaniel, they managed to find her unscathed thanks to a tracking device hidden in her ring. But this time, all her jewelry had been discarded, her ring and cell phone left behind in the restroom.
As Casey thought about what could happen to Izabella, a sharp pain clenched his heart. He could hardly breathe.
Soon enough, Toby sent the video to his phone. He watched as Izabella entered the restroom, a scream echoing from within some time later. A shadow moved at the doorway, and then all was silent. A tall figure emerged from the restroom, burly and masked, carrying a person over his shoulder. He calmly walked into a safety passage, and the camera switched to show him pushing a garbage bin outside.
Casey's eyes, already red, grew even redder, as though stained with blood. He watched with despair as Izabella was smuggled out of the restaurant.
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