Then, he checked the two boats. Both were out of oil. He had to send his location and wait for Shawn and the others to rescue them.
Holden took off his coat and spread it on a cool, flat surface.
Gently, he lifted Ariana and laid her down, waiting for her to wake up.
Ariana slowly regained consciousness. She couldn’t see clearly but felt someone near her. She instinctively struggled.
“Don’t worry. It’s me,” Holden reassured Ariana. Despite Ariana’s initial struggle, Holden held her close, soothing her with ki*ses on her forehead, and whispered, “You’re safe now. I’m here.”
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Hearing Holden’s familiar voice, Ariana relaxed a bit, but tension still gripped her body. When she recognized Holden in front of her, she sighed with relief and melted into his embrace.
“I thought…” Ariana’s voice trembled with fear. Clutching Holden’s sleeve tightly, she said, “I sensed someone in the room. By the time I tried to escape, it was too late. They took me out the window, and I can’t remember anything after that.”
Holden held her close, comforting her. When Ariana finally calmed down, she asked, “If you’re here, where are the kidnappers?”
As she spoke, a muffled whimpering and struggling sound came from above. Confused, Ariana tried to look up, but Holden gently covered her eyes. “It’s okay. Don’t look up,” he whispered.
Ariana understood something and nodded, refraining from looking up.
The men hung from the tree, their faces red. Their throats had been injured, rendering them unable to speak. They could only cry and feel regret in their hearts.
They hadn’t anticipated that Holden would be so relentless and strong.
If they had known, they would never have accepted the job. Exposed to the sun, their bodies burned with pain and itched. The sea breeze made the feeling even more unbearable for them.
Holden sat in the shade, cradling Ariana, protecting her from the sun’s rays. After some time, his men arrived, guided by the GPS signal.
Relieved at their rescue, Holden stood up and carefully carried Ariana onto the ship. He immediately requested the onboard doctor to examine Ariana. Then, he instructed Shawn, “Take those two men back for a thorough interrogation. Also, spread the word that we weren’t rescued and that we both fell into the sea.”
He was curious to see who had dared to harm Ariana.
He planned to let the orchestrator of the attack believe they had succeeded, only to confront them later when they least expected it.
Once the doctor had checked both Holden and Ariana, Holden said, “I’ll take Ariana back to Eleymond first. Remember, keep this a secret.”
“Understood,” Shawn responded with a nod.
He watched as Holden and Ariana departed on the ship. Turning his attention back to the two unfortunate captives, he observed their sorry state.
The men were hanging upside down in just their underwear, their bodies sunburned and wounds crusted over. They were unconscious, their faces smeared with dried blood. They almost lost all their teeth.
Approaching one of the captives, Shawn kicked him lightly and said, “You should have researched your target before accepting the job. How could you even think of crossing Holden?”
The two men wanted to respond but were unable to speak. Seeing this, Shawn gestured to his men to take them down and then ushered them into the cabin.
Meanwhile, Mitchel was unsure how long he had been unconscious. As he slowly regained consciousness, he remembered being thrown into the sea.