My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: The rescue

“Let’s play a game,” Gianna proposed. “You tell Dylan everything you’ve heard, and I’ll tell him my version of the story. Let’s see who he believes.”

Ava had no doubts that Dylan would ever believe her. What was the point of telling him? But she wouldn’t give up. At least, they wouldn’t be able to hurt her if she told him she was with them.

“Alright, go ahead,” she said in a challenging way. “Call him. Let’s see how far your lies take you.”

Gianna’s eyes sparkled with amusement, enjoying the little show she was orchestrating. She tapped her phone, pretending to make a call. “Of course. Let’s talk to him right here.” She was stalling, waiting for her accomplices to arrive.

“Hello, Dylan,” she said in a panicked tone. “Please come quickly! I just saw those thugs taking Ava away, and I’m terrified they’ll hurt her!”

Ava was shocked. “What nonsense are you spouting? Give me the phone!” she exclaimed, yanking the device from Gianna’s grip. It was only at that moment the reality struck her—Gianna had been pretending to call Dylan all along. She actually hadn’t dialed his number.

Before she could process it, Gianna snatched the phone back, a triumphant smile dancing on her lips. “Don’t worry. This isn’t a lie. Those thugs will be here soon, and they will take you away.”

Ava’s world tilted. She had the feeling that the ground had opened up beneath her. She was badly trapped. If she couldn’t get away, she would be kidnapped.

Every instinct screamed at her that she needed to escape. Adrenalin surged within her, and she shoved Gianna aside, turning to bolt down the alley.

This time, Brian and Gianna didn’t chase after her; instead, they stood back, smirking as they watched the familiar van pull up at the other end of the alley.

Ava stopped abruptly as she saw the van blocking the path ahead. The door creaked open, and two burly men jumped out. Their cold, calculating eyes locked onto her, and panic flooded her veins. She stepped back and then pivoted to run away, but she was shocked to find that Gianna and Brian were missing.

She realized they sneaked away, leaving her alone to be kidnapped, or worse, raped.

Survival instincts kicked in, and she took off as fast as she could. But it wasn’t fast enough. The men were quicker. Before she could escape, a strong hand clamped around her arm, yanking her back with a force that sent her stumbling.

“Let go of me,” Ava shrieked as she flailed against their iron grips. She thrashed, kicking and punching, but her struggles were futile. The men dragged her toward the van, ignoring her desperate cries.

In the meantime, a piercing sound of the police siren wailed. The men froze mid-step, their grips tightening as they exchanged panicked glances. The van that had been waiting for them sped off.

“Shit!” one of the men hissed under his breath, his face twisting in frustration.

“What do we do now?” the other one muttered, his grip still firm on Ava’s arm as she continued to struggle.

“He won’t leave us. He must be waiting for us at the curb. We can’t stick around here,” the first man growled. “Let’s take her and go from the other side!”

They turned, dragging Ava in the opposite direction. Panicked, Ava shouted for help, desperate to break free. But the men didn’t loosen their grips.

“Stop right there.” A voice from behind stopped them.

Ava whipped her head to look behind and saw Nicholas, a wave of relief crashing over her.

“Leave her!” Nicholas shouted, holding his phone high. “I’ve already called the cops. They will be here soon.”

The thugs looked at each other, their faces paling in dread. They couldn’t afford to get caught. Their grip on her slackened, and in the next moment, they bolted.

Ava gasped, her knees buckling beneath her. She collapsed to the ground, her body trembling from the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

Nicholas rushed to her side, kneeling beside her, his eyes flicking to the direction the men had fled. Every cell of his body itched to rush after them and beat them to death, but he didn’t go after them.

Nicholas hurried over to her, his gaze following the goons. His heart couldn’t take the strain. The rapid pulse or high blood pressure would only put his life in danger. He let the anger simmer, choosing to focus on the woman who needed him.

“Ava!” he called softly, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders, and pulling her closer. “Don’t worry. You’re safe now. They’re gone.”

Her breathing began to slow, and she looked up at him with grateful eyes. “Nicholas… How did you know I am in trouble?” she asked, surprised and curious to see him coming to her aid.

Nicholas fell silent. He hadn’t trusted a word Brian had said. He had purposefully released him and had someone following him to track his activities. While he had been leaving the civil affairs bureau, he got the information from his man, telling him that Brain had been spotted at the dark alley with Gianna.

Nicholas had rushed there, hoping to catch them red-handed, but he was shocked and worried to find Ava there. However, he wouldn’t tell her all this.

Instead, he launched a faux narrative, “I was worried Dylan might hurt you, so I followed you. When I saw your car parked on the side of the road, I decided to look for you. That’s when I heard you scream and came to help.”

“Thank you,” she murmured. “Thank you for calling the cops.”

Nicholas scratched his forehead, a little embarrassed. He hadn’t had the time to call the cops. It was his man who arranged the false siren to scare off the thugs.

“I didn’t call the cops,” he said, his tone low. “The police car just happened to pass by. It was pure luck that it scared them off.”

“I see. It was a lucky coincidence, I must say.” Ava pulled a smile, trying to lighten her mood.

However, Nicholas didn’t return the smile, his expression serious. “But why did you come here? Don’t you know this alley is dangerous? There have been several reports of crimes in this area over the years. What made you stop here?”

Ava took some time to catch her breath. “I saw Gianna,” she muttered, “with Brian.”

His face darkened even further. He remained silent as he wanted to know what she had found out.

“Brian lied to you,” Ava revealed. “They were together that day at the hotel. Now they’re scared. They’re planning to escape tonight, heading to Bangkok on some cargo ship.” She gestured toward the broken pieces of her phone scattered on the ground. “I recorded their entire conversation, but they found me and destroyed my phone.”

Nicholas didn’t respond. Instead, he stood up and moved toward the shattered remains of her phone. He crouched down and began to collect the pieces, taking Ava by surprise.

“What are you doing?” Ava asked, pushing herself up and walking over to him. She couldn’t understand why he was collecting the trash. “The phone is already broken.”

“We might still be able to recover the memory,” Nicholas replied calmly.