CHAPTER 315: SPARE THEIR LIVES (1)

Nick’s POV

The moment Sarah’s face drained of color, a surge of panic tore through my chest. My pulse spiked, thundering in my ears. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.

I shot to my feet. "What else did she say?" My voice came out sharper than I intended.

"Nothing more," Sarah stammered. "She walked away before I could ask."

I didn’t wait another second. I bolted out of the study, my heartbeat pounding like gunfire in my chest. I yanked my phone from my pocket and dialed Georgia’s number. It rang—once, twice—but no answer.

"Come on, baby, pick up," I muttered under my breath, taking the stairs two at a time.

Then I froze. A familiar ringtone echoed faintly through the hall—coming not from upstairs, but behind me.

I turned, and there was Alfie, holding Georgia’s bag. "Sir, I think this is Madam Georgia’s bag. Her phone’s—"

I didn’t let him finish. I snatched the bag from his hands, unzipped it, and grabbed her phone. My gut twisted as I saw the screen flashing with my missed call.

"Alfie," my father’s voice thundered from the study door. "Alert everyone. Search the entire property—inside, outside, the woods, everything. Look for Georgia, Katie, and her nanny, now!"

Alfie darted off, shouting orders as the house erupted into motion.

I unlocked Georgia’s phone. No new messages. No calls. Nothing but silence staring back at me.

"I tried calling Amara’s number," Vicky said, appearing beside me, her voice tight. "It’s turned off."

A curse ripped through my throat. "What the fuck is going on?"

Liam appeared, already armed, tossing me a loaded gun and a flashlight. "Let’s join the search and cover more grounds."

I checked the ammo, chambered a round, and nodded grimly. "Let’s move."

Before I took a step, I turned to Vicky. "You coming?"

She nodded without hesitation, her eyes blazing. "Of course I am."

Liam handed her his flashlight and clipped his tactical light onto his weapon.

Behind us, my father’s voice cut through the chaos—issuing crisp, commanding orders to the guards and staff. The tension in the air was electric, heavy with fear and urgency.

We rushed out into the night, the cold wind slapping against my face as we reached the backyard.

Then we saw Reagan—still on the phone—his expression shifting from confusion to alarm when he noticed us.

"Hey!" he blurted, hands raised as his gaze flicked between the guns and flashlights. "I didn’t do anything!"

Before I could respond, Vicky stormed forward, her voice sharp as a whip. "Then stop talking and grab a flashlight! Georgia and Katie’s probably missing or taken, I’m not sure myself—Just move!"

Reagan’s face paled, the phone slipping from his grip.

And as the lights flickered through the darkness, I knew deep in my gut—something—someone—had taken them.

Reagan caught up with us, his breath fogging in the cold night air, the beam from his phone’s flashlight cutting through the darkness. He didn’t say anything—none of us did. The only sounds were our footsteps crunching over soil and dry leaves and the faint static of radio chatter from the guards around us.

The deeper we went into the woods, the heavier the air became. My pulse hammered in my throat, my mind replaying every possible scenario—none of them good.

Branches snapped under our shoes as we pushed forward. Liam was a few steps ahead, flashlight sweeping side to side, while Vicky trailed just behind me, her jaw tight and her hand gripping her flashlight like a weapon.

"Spread out!" I barked, my voice echoing through the still night. "Check every direction, every damn bush, every shadow! Do not return without any leads, or you are all fired, benefits forfeited, you fucking useless punks!"

"This wouldn’t happen if you were just doing your fucking jobs!" I yelled.

Four of the guards moved ahead, flashlights flickering against the line of trees.

Then one of them hesitated, his voice trembling as he said, "Sir, we were patrolling earlier... we saw the little girl running through the garden. She looked happy, laughing. The nanny, Amara, was chasing her, out of breath. It looked normal, sir. Just a kid playing."

I turned sharply, fury rising in my chest. "Then why the fuck didn’t you look after her?! That’s your job!"

The guard stiffened, eyes wide. "It didn’t seem suspicious, sir. We thought they were just playing. A few minutes later, I radioed one of the team near the second floor, when the two of them were not in the garden anymore. He said Amara was already seen upstairs. I thought they’d gone back to their room to sleep."

My grip tightened on the gun until my knuckles turned white. "You thought? You don’t get paid to fucking think! You get paid to make sure my family is safe! You worthless brat!"

Vicky stepped in before I could explode further. Her voice was cold, firm, and commanding. "Radio back to the mansion. Tell them to check the CCTVs, every angle, every second of footage. If they haven’t done it already, do it now. We might still be able to trace where they went."

"Yes, ma’am!" the guard said before stopping in his spot to use the radio before following us again.

We pressed forward again, flashlights cutting through the dense trees. The woods were eerily silent—no crickets, no wind, no movement. Just that thick, choking kind of stillness that makes your skin crawl.

Minutes dragged like hours. My heartbeat echoed in my ears.

Then, a sharp crackle from one of the radios broke the silence.

"Sir! We found something!" It was one of my father’s security men, his voice tense.

I grabbed the radio from the guard’s belt. "What is it?"

"We found a gold necklace... with three pearls on the pendant. It’s near the east hedge, close to the old fence line. The hedges are... they’re deformed, sir. Looks like something pressed against them—maybe a ladder or... something used to climb over."

For a moment, the world spun. My stomach dropped, my breath caught in my throat.

Georgia’s necklace.

I didn’t even have to see it to know.

"Stay there," I said into the radio, voice steady despite the chaos raging in my chest. "Request for a ladder or just go over the fence and look for clues, they might be close. We’re coming."

Then I turned to my siblings, my voice hard as steel.

"They didn’t just wander off. Someone took them."

And this time, I wasn’t going to wait for the police. Whoever had them was going to regret it, because this time, I am willing to really kill someone; they better pray now because I am not going to spare their lives!

********

Thank you for the Golden Ticket!

Edna_R2679