Chapter 443: Held Hostage

Chapter 443: Chapter 443: Held Hostage

The footsteps outside were getting closer and closer. Tanya Sinclair followed the trail all the way to the underside of the bridge; the wild grass was half as tall as a person, and with the sky already dark, the nearest streetlamp was more than ten meters away.

She could only search with her flashlight, but the visibility was still limited.

If Buddy hid somewhere on purpose and refused to make a sound, it really wouldn’t be easy to spot him.

Tanya Sinclair had no choice but to raise her voice: "Buddy? If you’re nearby, hurry and come out. I already talked to your mom, she won’t hit you. The teacher promises, okay?"

"If you want to see your dad, you can video call him. When the holidays come, your mom will take you to see him too. Come out, okay?"

Tanya waited for a while, but there was still no response.

She was just about to cross over the bridge when suddenly, a child’s voice came from beneath the bridge, tinged with sobs.

"Ms. Sinclair—I’m over here—"

It was Buddy!

Tanya’s heart clenched, and she hurried toward the bridge’s underside.

"Don’t be scared, I’m here now!"

She was only worried Buddy might have fallen, or been bitten by something poisonous. After all, there was a lot of grass here, and plenty of bugs and ants.

Tanya pushed aside the weeds and stepped in; her flashlight swept across, and she saw Buddy standing there, sniffling, his face ruined by tears, his whole body shaking so hard he could barely stand. He looked terrified.

"Buddy—" Tanya had just started forward when her steps suddenly halted.

A lean, wiry man slowly stood up from behind Buddy. A striking scar ran across his face. He held a gun in his hand, the butt pressed against Buddy’s shoulder, the dark muzzle pointed straight at Tanya.

The man’s eyes were cold and sly, staring fixedly at her.

"If you dare shout even once, I’ll shoot you dead right now, then shoot this little tubby too."

"..." Tanya clenched her fists; she hadn’t considered shouting at all.

Compared to things she’d been through in the past, this scene was practically child’s play.

But in Shiv’s eyes, Tanya’s quietness meant something else entirely.

He covertly sized Tanya up.

Just now, he’d already gotten out of this little fatty’s mouth that the Ms. Sinclair in front of him had only recently come here as a volunteer teacher.

A beautiful, cool face; a slender frame—never mind bullets, Shiv felt he could snap that delicate neck of hers with one hand.

So in his eyes, there was only one reason for Tanya’s calm—she’d been scared out of her wits.

"I won’t shout. I can pretend I never saw you, as long as you let my student go." Tanya slowly raised both hands. "Don’t hurt him, he’s just a kid."

Shiv let out a short laugh. "Oh, so you’re a good teacher. Such a pretty thing, it’d be a pity to blow your brains out."

Buddy sobbed, "Don’t... don’t kill Ms. Sinclair... please, I won’t run away from home anymore... just let us go."

"Shut up, you little fatty!" Shiv snarled under his breath, pressing the gun muzzle against Buddy’s head. Buddy jolted in terror, and then the empty, gloomy space under the bridge echoed with the rustling sound of running water.

Very quickly, the sour stench of urine spread out.

Buddy had wet himself from fear.

Shiv’s expression shifted at once. "Useless little shit, I scared you so bad you pissed yourself!"

While Shiv’s attention was fixed on Buddy, Tanya, with her hand hidden behind her back, secretly sent a message to Felix Kendall.

This small town might be a bit closed-off and backward, but there wasn’t much in the way of murder or robbery. Felix had only just arrived on assignment to make an arrest, and now there was an armed violent criminal here. Tanya’s mind spun once, and she understood — this man was the fugitive who’d escaped from Felix’s custody.

She didn’t know how he’d managed it, but this man was definitely the type who killed without blinking.

"Sir, don’t scare the child. Let him go." Tanya took a step forward. "Take me as your hostage instead. I’m an adult, easier to control than a kid."

Shiv narrowed his eyes at her, as if weighing the idea.

Tanya raised the stakes. "I’m from out of town, here as a volunteer teacher. Grabbing me is more useful than grabbing him..."

Tanya drew a careful breath.

"Felix Kendall is a friend of mine."

As expected, the moment Felix’s name came up, Shiv’s face changed.

The news of his escape would certainly have reached Felix by now. Frankly, he wasn’t at all sure he could slip through Felix’s fingers a second time. He’d only managed to attack the police and run because Felix himself hadn’t been in charge of escorting him...

If he fell back into Felix’s hands, he’d definitely be hacked into pieces, begging for death.

Shiv brooded for a few seconds, then, without warning, slammed the gun butt into Buddy’s head and knocked him out.

Tanya watched Buddy collapse to the ground and let out a breath of relief, but in the next second, Shiv seized her arm in a vice grip and yanked her toward him.

He jammed the gun muzzle against her waist, his tone chilling as he warned, "Don’t try anything. Now, get me out of this town!"

Tanya said, "You can’t get out right now."

Shiv ground the gun harder into her side. "What do you mean? Bitch, don’t play games with me!"

Tanya was unnervingly steady, with no trace of fear toward death.

"Buddy’s gone missing, and we already called the police earlier. Right now, officers are stationed at every exit of the town. And... the cops looking for you are probably closing in. They’re not idiots; they’ve definitely set up roadblocks and are lying in wait for you."

"..."

Shiv’s breathing grew heavy, his expression darker and darker.

He knew she was telling the truth.

Hearing his silence, Tanya knew she’d swayed him. She pressed on, "You’d better find somewhere to hide first."

"Anywhere empty that no one goes to? Somewhere you can hole up?"

Tanya had been waiting for this question.

One-on-one, she might not actually be at a disadvantage. Declan Pierce had once taught her self-defense. Dealing with a man who wasn’t particularly strong wouldn’t be a problem.

Right now, the issue was the gun in his hand, and Buddy still being here—she was afraid of innocent people getting hurt.

As long as she seized the right opening and took his gun away, she’d be able to subdue him.

A location flashed through Tanya’s mind. The old empty house at the end of the back alley behind the school—the people in town all said there was a "weirdo" living there. But that weird person was most likely just a rumor gone wild; maybe no one lived there at all.

She didn’t want to drag Shiv somewhere crowded. At least around that old house, there weren’t many people; no innocents would get caught up in it.

"There’s an alley behind the school. At the end is an empty house; no one’s lived there for a long time," Tanya said.

Shiv pulled her along. "Take me there. If you dare play tricks, we die together! I’ll make sure to drag a few more down with me!"

Tanya led Shiv all the way to that old house.

She didn’t know why, but the closer they got, the harder her heart pounded.

She had no idea if there really was some weirdo here...

The front gate wasn’t closed; a push made it creak open. The plaster on the courtyard walls was all peeling. Two osmanthus trees grew inside.

Tanya lowered her gaze to the ground. The weeds had been cleared, but inside the house itself there were no lights on, the windows pitch-black.

Maybe, there really was no one.

Tanya let out a tiny sigh of relief. No one was best.

Shiv, holding Tanya hostage, kicked the main door open.

Moonlight slipped in through the gap, silvering the layer of dust in the air. The room held only a table, two chairs, and a bed.

There were a few sheets of drawing paper on the table, weighed down under the tabletop. It was impossible to see what was drawn on them.

So someone did live here, but luckily, that so-called weirdo was probably out. Not home, which meant no risk of collateral damage.

"Can you move the gun a little?" Tanya lowered her lashes and put on a frightened look. "I...I’m scared it’ll go off by accident. Like in the movies."

Shiv’s guard slipped a notch.

He chuckled. "I took this off a cop I killed. It’s not gonna ’accidentally’ go off. Tell me, am I ruthless or what?"

Tanya felt like she might puke.

He actually looked proud.

Shiv set the gun down on the table, pinning the sheets of drawing paper. He turned, leering at Tanya as he leaned in close.

"Now you’re not scared, are you?"

Tanya had been waiting for exactly this moment.