C450 Charlie Kinlore Took Him

The news had left all of us shaken. Emmanuel was missing. Our son had been taken from his own home, and we had no idea where he was. I sat beside Alicia. She hadn't stopped crying since we left Lucia Goods. I held her hand tightly. “We'll find him,” I told her. She looked at me, tears running down her cheeks. “He's our son, Mike.” “I know.” “We have to find him.” “We will.” I didn't know how. But I knew one thing. I wasn't going to stop until Emmanuel was back in our arms. When we finally arrived at the Mooney residence, Mark had just arrived as well. The moment we stepped out of the car, we saw one of the injured security guards being treated. We all frowned. Amanda immediately asked, “What happened here?” Nobody answered. We rushed inside. The moment we entered the living room, we saw the maid sitting on the couch, crying while holding her daughter tightly. The little girl was safe, but the maid looked completely broken.

Alicia stopped when she saw her. Her eyes immediately filled with tears again. Mark stepped forward. “What happened?” Peter looked at all of us. “The maid said she received a call yesterday from a strange male voice.” He paused. “He told her that her daughter had been kidnapped. They even sent her a photograph to prove it.” Alicia stared at the maid. Peter continued. “They told her that if she wanted her daughter back, she had to exchange her for Emmanuel.” Alicia's face changed. “They took my son?” Peter nodded. “Yes.” Alicia could no longer hold back her tears. "How could you do this?” She looked directly at the maid. “You exchanged my son for your daughter?” Her voice broke. “Was your daughter really worth exchanging for my son?” The maid lowered her head and cried even harder. Mark immediately stepped between them. “Alicia, calm down.” She looked at him. Mark was hurting too. Emmanuel was his grandson, but he knew that panic would not bring the child back. “Peter,” Mark said firmly, “continue.”

Peter took a deep breath. “After everyone left this morning, a black vehicle drove past the residence.” He looked at me. “They started shooting.” “We all rushed toward the windows to see what was happening. While we were distracted, the maid took Emmanuel from his room.” Peter looked toward the maid. “She carried him outside and gave him to the people waiting for her.” “And then?” Mark asked. “They released her daughter.” The room became silent. Chris looked at the maid. “You must be crazy.” His voice was filled with anger. “If I don't find my nephew, I will kill you myself.” The maid immediately began crying again. I stepped forward. “Who did you give my son to?” The maid looked at me. “Did you see the number plate?” She shook her head. “No, sir.” “Then tell me who took him.” She hesitated. I stepped closer. “Who?” The maid wiped her tears. “I know who I handed the baby to.” Mark immediately looked at her. “Who?” The maid finally answered. “Charlie Kinlore.” Alicia and I exchanged looks. “Charlie Kinlore?” I couldn't believe it.

The maid nodded. “Yes.” Alicia stared at her. “Are you sure?” “Yes, Miss Mooney.” The maid's voice trembled. “She knew who you I was. She said she knew that you killed her uncle.” My fists tightened. “What else did she say?” The maid swallowed. “She said the Harris Cartel will not die.” Alicia's face went pale. The maid shook her head. “Boss, she was scary.” She looked at Alicia. “It was as if she was someone else.” Alicia suddenly collapsed to her knees. “Alicia!” I immediately moved toward her. Tears streamed down her face. She looked toward Mark. “Dad…” Mark crouched beside her. “We'll find him.” “We have to call Victor.” Mark didn't hesitate. He took out his phone and called Victor immediately. The call connected. “Mark?” “Mr. Gupta, we have a problem.” Victor's voice became serious. “What happened?” “Emmanuel has been kidnapped.” There was silence on the other end. “What?” “Someone took him." Victor's voice hardened. “Who could have done that? Isn't Willy Harris dead?” “Yes,” Mark replied. “But it is his niece. Charlie” Victor didn't hesitate. “I'm coming there now.” The call ended.

The Lions gathered around Alicia. Sarah knelt beside her and gently wiped the tears from her face. “Alicia, we'll find him.” Alicia nodded, but she couldn't stop crying. Samantha stepped forward. “If they wanted him dead, they would have killed him here.” Everyone looked at her. “They didn't.” She continued. “That means they want something.” I looked at her. “You're right.” “But we need to find out what.” Laura could no longer hold herself together. She turned away and began crying. Faith and Amanda exchanged worried looks. Nobody knew what to say. We weren't prepared for what had happened. About an hour later, four black cars entered the Mooney residence. Victor Gupta had arrived. With him were the coaches. The moment they stepped out of the vehicles, they could see from everyone's faces that something was seriously wrong. Hammer immediately approached me. “Cracker.” I looked at him. “Tell us what happened.” I took a deep breath. “Charlie took Emmanuel.” Hammer's expression changed. “Charlie Kinlore?” I nodded. “Yes.” Beast stepped forward. “Give us her address.” I told them. Beast immediately turned toward the others. “Let's go.” The coaches returned to their vehicles. Within seconds, they were gone.

At almost the same time, Charlie was already at the airport. She carried Emmanuel carefully. The baby was unaware of everything that was happening around him. Charlie had followed Hanna's instructions. She was leaving Scotland. Her destination was Colombia. Hanna had instructed her to take Emmanuel there and meet them while they continued their search for Alvaro Gonzalez. Hanna had already left using her private jet. Charlie, however, was travelling on a public flight. She moved quickly through the airport, keeping Emmanuel close and avoiding unnecessary attention. A short time later, the plane departed. Scotland disappeared beneath the clouds. Charlie looked down at Emmanuel. For a moment, guilt crossed her face. She had kidnapped a child. Not just any child. Alicia Mooney's son. But then she remembered Willy. She remembered the body of her uncle. She remembered the promise she had made to herself. The Harris Cartel would not disappear. She looked at Emmanuel again. “I am sorry,” she whispered. Then she turned toward the window. Soon, she would be out of the country.

Meanwhile, John was still at home. Charlie had left early that morning without explaining where she was going. He had tried calling her several times, but she hadn't answered. Then he heard a vehicle outside. John walked toward the door. When he opened it, he found several men standing outside. The coaches. They looked furious. Before John could even ask who they were, Hammer's fist struck him directly in the face. John stumbled backward. “Ah!” He barely had time to recover before another punch landed against his ribs. He screamed and grabbed his side. “Where is your wife, Charlie?” Hammer demanded. John looked terrified. “I don't know!” Hammer stepped closer. “Where did she go?” “I swear I don't know!” John struggled to breathe. “She left in a hurry this morning. She didn't tell me where she was going.” Hammer stared at him. “You're lying.” “I'm not!” The coaches entered the house. They searched every room. But Charlie was nowhere. Sniper eventually shook his head. “She isn't here.” Hammer looked around the house one last time. Then he turned toward John. “Take him.”

John's eyes widened. “Wait!” Nobody listened. The coaches took John outside and placed him inside one of the vehicles. Within minutes, the convoy left the Kinlore residence. They were heading back to the Mooney family. But none of them knew the truth yet. Charlie was already gone. She was no longer in Scotland. And she was taking Emmanuel with her. Meanwhile, Alicia was still waiting for her son to come home. And Hanna's plan was working exactly as she had intended.