CHAPTER 2 — "The Old Man They Should Never Have Threatened"
The two kidnappers laughed so hard that one of them nearly doubled over.
"You planning to save the girl, Grandpa?"
The old man remained perfectly still.
Rain slowly dripped from the brim of his worn hat.
His expression never changed.
"I'll give you exactly five seconds," he said calmly.
"Let her go."
The taller criminal wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Or what?"
"You'll hit us with that walking stick?"
The second man stepped closer to the old stranger.
"Maybe you need help getting home."
Maria struggled desperately against the man's grip.
"Please..."
"Don't come closer!"
She didn't want another innocent person hurt because of her.
The old man ignored her.
Instead, he quietly looked at each man's face as though memorizing every detail.
Then he sighed.
"I warned you."
The taller thug suddenly charged forward.
He swung his fist directly toward the old man's face.
Maria closed her eyes.
She couldn't bear to watch.
CRACK!
A horrifying sound echoed across the street.
But it wasn't the old man who screamed.
It was the attacker.
Maria opened her eyes in disbelief.
The thug was lying flat on his back, clutching his wrist and howling in agony.
No one had even seen the old man move.
"What...?"
The second kidnapper froze.
His friend tried to stand but collapsed again.
His arm bent at a sickening angle.
The old man hadn't struck him with force.
He had simply redirected the punch with one precise movement.
Years of experience...
Executed in less than a second.
The second criminal finally realized this wasn't an ordinary elderly man.
He reached inside his jacket.
Maria's heart stopped.
A knife.
Its blade reflected the streetlight.
"You should've walked away, old man."
The stranger looked almost disappointed.
"I was hoping you were smarter than that."
The criminal lunged.
Again—
No one clearly saw what happened.
The knife clattered across the pavement.
The attacker crashed face-first onto the concrete with a scream.
His shoulder had completely dislocated.
Before either criminal could recover—
Bright headlights suddenly flooded the street.
One...
Two...
Three...
Then six black SUVs raced around the corner at terrifying speed.
Tires screeched.
Doors burst open.
More than a dozen heavily armed officers in tactical gear surrounded the entire area within seconds.
"FEDERAL AGENTS!"
"GET ON THE GROUND!"
The kidnappers turned white.
One whispered in horror...
"No..."
"It can't be..."
Maria stared in complete confusion.
The officers weren't pointing their weapons at the old man.
Instead...
Every single one of them saluted him.
A tall commander hurried forward.
"Director..."
"We've been tracking these suspects for three months."
Maria blinked.
Director?
The elderly stranger slowly removed the fake gray wig from his head.
Then he peeled away realistic latex wrinkles from his face.
Underneath stood not a helpless old man...
...but a powerfully built man in his early forties.
His eyes were cold.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
He looked at the terrified kidnappers before quietly saying,
"You've just kidnapped the witness we've been protecting..."
"...and assaulted the man leading the operation against your entire criminal organization."
The street fell completely silent.
But the biggest surprise was still coming.
One officer rushed toward the Director holding a phone.
"Sir..."
"We've just identified who ordered tonight's kidnapping."
The Director looked at the screen...
...then slowly turned toward Maria.
"You need to prepare yourself."
May you like
"The person who hired them..."
"...is someone you've trusted your entire life."
