Chapter 168 Blood Ties in the Crossfire.
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George wandered around for a long time with no clear plan. At last, he spotted Alfred on the security cameras.
He headed straight to the garden. He had just opened his mouth. “Alfred-”
The answer wasn’t his brother’s voice.
It was a bullet.
George turned around and locked eyes with Toby not far away.
He glanced at the dark, smoking hole nearby and let out a quiet sigh.
Toby really was a great shot.
Still, George had come prepared. He was wearing a bulletproof vest.
He tugged at his shirt, now torn open with a big hole. George spoke casually. “Toby, long time no see. That’s how you say hello?”
“Where are the hostages?” Toby kept his gun trained on him. His pale face looked cold enough to freeze the air.
“What, are you trying to play the hero now?” George sneered. “Since when do you care about saving people?”
Toby’s voice cut like a blade. “Where’s Maya?”
Maya?
That little girl-six, maybe seven?
“Oh, you know her too?” George perked up a little. “She’s pretty interesting. Her rich dad even offered five billion to get her back.”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Toby had pressed the gun right against his temple; the barrel was still warm.
“George.” The boy’s eyes were dark, like two bottomless wells, filled with hate. “If anything happens to her, you’re dead.”
The smile on George’s face faded.
16:29 Sat, May 9 M…
ser 168 Blood Ties in the Crossfire
He stared into Toby’s eyes, trying to find even a hint of bluff.
There was none.
Toby meant it. His brother wanted to kill him.
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“What’s wrong with you?” George’s voice turned cold. “If something happens, so what? Nothing lasts forever. If one’s gone, there’ll always be another.”
Toby’s anger snapped. “You think that logic still works when it’s your friends? If anything happens to Maya, I’ll kill them first.”
George hated being threatened. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Toby’s head.
“Try me. I’ll take you out first.”
Alfred was wordless.
Let them threaten each other all they want. Meanwhile, he was still tied up. Not tired at all. Not uncomfortable at all.
“Maya is our sister,” Alfred said calmly. He worked at the ropes around his wrists, slowly loosening them bit by bit. Then he looked up and stated flatly, “The first time I met her, Mom told me to protect her. Now she’s been kidnapped. I’m going to tell Mom that everything is your fault.”
A few simple lines and the standoff broke.
George snapped his head toward Alfred.
“What did you just say? She’s our sister?”
In that moment, the shock and absurdity hit him hard; it pushed away the urge to shoot Toby.
He forced a stiff smile.
“You’re joking, right? I haven’t seen you for years. The first thing you do when you see me is crack a joke?”
Alfred looked at him with those dark, steady eyes. “You think I’d joke about this?”
Did he look like the kind of person who joked?
No. Not at all.
Alfred had the worst social sense in the world. Joking with his brother? That wasn’t him.
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16:29 Sat, May 9 …
Chapter tool Blood Lie, in The Crossfire
George just stood there, stunned.
He looked like he’d turned to stone, like a strong wind could crack him apart.
The girl I have known for a month is my sister.
My sister.
Maya is my sister.
What have I done?
I’ve worked with kidnappers and helped kidnap my sister.
What would Mom do if she found out?
George didn’t even dare to start thinking about it. All his life, he had been good at running. Running from danger. Running from people who wanted him dead.
But this time, the one who made his legs go weak wasn’t an enemy.
It was his mother.
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In the end, George tossed his phone to Toby and ran off like he couldn’t get away fast enough.
“No signal on yours, right? Use mine to call. I’m going to find Maya.” He had to fix this somehow.
Toby grabbed the phone and dialed right away.
It rang twice before someone picked up.
“Uncle Ned,” Toby said.
“Toby?” That man sounded a little surprised. “Why are you calling from this number?”
“It’s not my phone,” Toby said, keeping it brief. “Uncle, I need people.”
“How many?”
“1000.”
The line went quiet, then came a soft laugh.
“Your dad just pulled 700 armed men, and now you want 1,000? You’ve got more nerve than he does.”
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16:29 Sat, May 9 M…
Chapter 168 Blood Ties in the Crossfire
Toby paused, then stepped back without hesitation. “Then I will ask for 300.”
“That girl-Maya, right? What’s so special about her? Why are you two going this far?
5$
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“I can give them to you,” Ned said. His tone was calm, almost distant. “Your dad already took
- Taking the remaining 300 isn’t a problem.” Then his voice turned slightly colder. “But think it through, Toby. How are you going to explain this to your grandpa?”
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