Chapter 44: Abduction
Raymond felt a knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach as he made his way to Ben’s office. The news he had to deliver was not good. It was, in fact, the worst kind of news one could deliver, considering the circumstances.
The Lim family, prominent citizens of Dalton, had been abducted. Horace Lim, his wife, and his daughter—all missing. Their home in uptown Dalton bore the signs of a violent struggle, and all the security cameras had been destroyed. It was clear they had been taken against their will, and the absence of any demand or message from the kidnappers only served to compound the mystery and heighten the concern.
Knocking lightly on the door, he waited for Ben’s familiar voice to invite him in. As he entered the room, he found Ben looking out the window, his back to the door. The view from the office was breathtaking, a panorama of Dalton’s skyline. But Raymond knew Ben wasn’t admiring the view. His mind was surely occupied with the myriad of responsibilities and challenges of managing what was left of the Hall’s empire.
“Ben,” Raymond called out. “I have news. It’s about the Lim family.”
Ben turned around slowly, as if he were mentally saving his thoughts to be resumed at a later time.
“Go on,” he said, gesturing for Raymond to continue.
Raymond swallowed hard and steeled himself.
“They’ve been abducted, Ben. All of them—Horace, his wife, even their daughter. Their home was ransacked, and there’s no sign of where they’ve been taken.”
Ben’s face darkened.
“Abducted?” he echoed gravely. “But why? Do we have any leads on who might be behind this?”
Raymond shook his head.
“The police are trying to keep things under wraps, but my sources say it might have been the Amos family. One of their ships was docked in the harbor nearby Dalton, but had left around the time we suspect the abduction occurred.”
“The Amos family…” Ben murmured, his frown deepening. “I heard they moved on to robbing museums and exhibits, but it seems like they’re back to their old antics. We’ll have to increase our security measures and stay vigilant.”
Ben took out his cell phone and prepared to send a mass encrypted message to all the Hall family associates in Dalton.
“Notice: All personnel are to equip themselves with at least one firearm at all times and be on high alert for threats and suspicious activity. The Amos family is making moves in Dalton.”
Just as Ben finished typing, Raymond’s phone vibrated in his pocket, signaling the arrival of the alert. A new game of power in Dalton was commencing. Only this time, William and Bethany Hall weren’t around. Raymond felt a bead of sweat drip down his cheek as he recalled the last time that family empires clashed.
“Raymond, I need you to prepare rooms for Edmund Jang and his security escorts. They’ll be arriving here soon,” Ben instructed, his voice ringing with an authoritative edge.
Raymond nodded in understanding.
“Yes, sir. It will be done.”
Ben turned towards the window to face the afternoon sun, which cast a long shadow across the floor. Raymond pondered Ben’s shadow on the carpet, the size of it dwarfing his silhouette.
Who knows how much this man has had to endure for the sake of the Hall family? How much longer will he be able to carry the weight of William and Bethany’s empire?
Back in their prime, he and Ben wouldn’t have hesitated to take up arms to fight by the Halls’ side and protect them with the might of their youth. Although they were still in considerably good shape, Ben more so than Raymond, they were older now and probably wouldn’t be able to protect David in the same way.
“I’ll have to inform Edmund about this new development. He needs to be aware of what’s going on, especially considering his past with the Amos family,” Ben muttered.
“What about David?” Raymond asked as he considered David’s potential involvement in the escalating situation.
“David seems to be safe for now,” Ben replied. “His guards haven’t reported any suspicious activity and are on high alert. Our snipers are well stationed and ready in the event that anything happens.”
Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t want to interrupt David’s current endeavors, but if things escalate further...I’ll have to think of a way to step in. His safety is paramount.”
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that,” Raymond agreed, his mind already racing with potential contingency plans. These developing situations were unfolding quickly, and they needed to be ready for anything.
Copyright © 2024 by A. J. Knight
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