As they waited, they heard a knock at the door. Anderson got up from his seat and made his way to the door.
As he swung it open, the group saw their old friends standing outside, looking anxious and worried. Charley and Brittney were holding hands tightly while Patricia had tears in her eyes.
Jacob and Stefan were fidgeting nervously, and Serena, Enya, and Stella were huddled together for support, their faces pale with shock and worry.
They immediately entered the room and didn't lose time.
"What the hell is going on?" Charley demanded, his eyes scanning the room for answers. "Why was our family kidnapped?" he asked.
"Hello," Erik said as he stepped forward, his voice firm. "Let me explain everything to you."
Erik began recounting what had happened and explaining Nathaniel's father's role in the situation.
The group stood in stunned silence, their expressions shifting between worry, fear, and rage. Charley's face contorted with worry, and his brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of the situation.
Brittney's eyes widened with fear at the prospect of her or her parents dying, and she clutched her hands tightly in her lap.
Patricia's face was in no better situation; she had a mask of rage, her jaw set, her fists clenched, and her nostrils flaring as she listened intently.
The newcomers exchanged worried glances, their hearts sinking at the news. "But how did you all know about it so quickly?" Patricia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I was investigating Natasha's and Karl's deaths and found this out; the problem was that it was too late, as they had already sent their men to kidnap your families," Erik explained.
"Now we are trying to find a solution, and we have come up with a plan. However, we also alerted Amber's father, who is preparing a team for a rescue mission." Aaron added.
"Good! Then they can take care of it, right?" Patricia asked.
Jacob nodded, understanding dawning on his face. "Yeah, we are just going to wait for them, right?"
Erik took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the group. "Unfortunately, not in the time they gave you. We must go there before they kill all the hostages." Erik said. "That's why we have decided to take action, but I will be honest with you, there is a high chance we won't be able to come back after this. I'm confident we can free the hostages, but not for the following."
"But if what you said is true and we are their targets, what makes you think they won't kill us on the spot if we go there?" Brittney asked.
"As I've already said previously, I do not think Matthew will do it. You haven't seen him, but I did. He is currently all messed up," Erik replied.
Stefan cleared his throat, his voice low and steady. "Ok, so what does your plan of attack consist of? How will we rescue our families, and why do you think we won't make it?" Erik nodded, appreciating Stefan's question.
"We have been monitoring their movements thanks to a friend of mine, and we know where they are currently holding the hostages. The plan Is simple: while one team distracts the kidnappers, another will rescue them. The problem is that these guys likely went to the military and are at least three levels above us on average. I'm not aware of your current level, but most of us are at the PI level currently, so this is the situation. If we manage to hold on until Caiden's men arrive, then we shouldn't have problems surviving, that if you will be skilled enough to prevent your death until their arrival." The young man then solemnly looked into the newcomer's eyes.
"I will ask you guys again, are you sure you want to do this?"
Enya looked Erik in the eyes, saying, " We have little choice. If we do not go, our family will die, but we will risk our lives if we go. However, I couldn't live with myself knowing that I could have helped them, and I didn't, so I want to go."
"Yeah," Stefan replied. "I agree."
Erik nodded, and then he explained the rescue plan in detail, outlining each step and contingency. As he spoke, the group's expressions shifted from worry and fear to determination and hope.
Charley nodded thoughtfully, his eyes gleaming with a newfound sense of purpose. Brittney's grip on his hand tightened, her gaze steady and unwavering. Patricia's rage started to wane as a steely resolve took its place. She leaned forward, her fists still clenched, but her expression was more determined than angry.
After Erik was done, the others were more or less convinced. They still feared losing their lives but couldn't do much about that.
However, they couldn't leave their family in Matthew's hands; they had to take things into their own hands.
Jacob's face was set in a grim expression, but his eyes were determined. "Let's do this," he said.
Erik smiled, impressed with their bravery. "Good."
Patricia and Stella exchanged a quick glance, their expressions solemn but resolute. "We're with you," Serena said, her voice steady. She took a deep breath, her eyes shining with determination. "Let's bring our families home."
"All right, let's take your weapons and meet at the gate in ten minutes. We've already made transportation arrangements, so we'll leave as soon as possible."
"All right," everyone replied.
As the group stood up, ready to put the plan into action, their faces were no longer filled with worry, fear, or rage. Instead, they were united in their resolve to save their loved ones, and their expressions were filled with determination and hope.
The group quickly gathered their things and made their way outside. It didn't take even five minutes for them to rush to their rooms, pick up their weapons, and head to the Red Palace's entrance.
However, Erik had to sneak out alone again since he had the hunch that people were keeping an eye on him, and if he got out of the Red Palace, they would probably send someone to stop him from doing so.
Erik thought about telling the authorities or the Red Palace what was happening, but the problem was that he could jeopardize the rescue if he did.
The only way for them to save the parents was if he hijacked the security system and shielded the rescue team; he could do that from the Red Palace, but that would mean that he had to reveal his ability since finding someone with that kind of skillset was hard for average citizens like him.
The situation was too delicate for him not to rush to help the hostages. However, realistically speaking, Erik knew they didn't have much of a chance, and their only path to survival was if the parents helped them fight. If the hostages, who were 21, fought with them, who were 17 in total, they would be able to manage to get out of there.
Once there, they saw four cabs waiting for them at the entrance. Armed to the teeth, the group of students quickly hopped on the vehicles and told the drivers to bring them near the Red Lotus Lounge.
As they drove toward the compound, the tension in the air was palpable. Each member of the group was lost in their own thoughts, praying that they would be able to rescue their loved ones unharmed.
As they neared the place, Erik gave a final briefing on the plan of attack. The group nodded, their faces set with determination.
The vehicles quickly arrived, quickly descended and left them a block away from the place. They couldn't allow the guards to see the second group, or that would foil the plan.
The teams emerged from the vehicles with weapons strapped to their belts.
"All right, we will go our separate ways here. Remember, you must stall them for as much time as possible," Erik said.
"Anderson, if things go south, I will count on you." His friend nodded and said, "Don't worry."
"Good, let's go."
With that, Erik, Benedict, Martha, Amber, Aaron, Floyd, and Gwen had separated from the rest of the group.
They were all critical targets for the Crystal Cross gang, so they had to be careful not to get spotted, and since the criminal organization had men at every corner, they had to sneak their way to the Red Lotus Lounge.
They moved swiftly, keeping to the crowded streets where they could blend in with the crowds of people.
The first thing they did as they left the place where the cabs brought them was duck into a narrow alleyway, cutting through backstreets to avoid roads where too many gang members were known to patrol. They moved as one, keeping their heads down and their movements fluid, not drawing attention to themselves.
At one point, they were forced to leave the alleys and head toward a crowd of people since they had to go to the other side of the street.
They huddled together, moving as a unit, letting the bodies around them conceal their movements. They wove in and out of the crowd, and after having reached a small plaza, they took a side street that directly brought them to the back of the Red Lotus Lounge.
The club seemed to have a commanding presence of its own. It was almost as if the building itself was alive and pulsing with energy. However, they knew well that they couldn't let themselves be drawn by the club's fancy exterior, as that was a place of death for them.
Erik had already been there, so he already knew what to expect from the place. However, the others didn't; they looked at the building intently. They noticed the faded red brick exterior that was weathered and worn as if it had been standing for decades.
The brickwork was accented with deep grooves and crevices, giving the building an aged and rustic appearance. Despite its somewhat rough exterior, the club's facade had been spruced up with sleek, modern lighting fixtures and a polished steel entrance.
They couldn't see it from their position. Still, on the front of the building was a large, glowing red lotus flower symbol surrounded by intricate, geometric patterns mounted prominently just above the main entrance.
Until that point, they had been lucky since no one spotted them, which was in itself great; however, they couldn't rest as time was of the essence.
As they approached the back of the building, Anderson, Mikey and the others were already in front of the club, waiting for Erik to give them the signal they needed.
Erik picked up his phone and quickly called Anderson.
"Hey, we are here; how are the others?" Erik asked.
"They are nervous but overall in good spirits. Do we have to go?" Anderson asked.
"Yeah, as soon as you enter, we will move. I can already spot the four guards ahead. As soon as you enter, we will neutralize them."
Anderson nodded and said, "Thank you, Erik, for everything. We wouldn't have had this chance if it wasn't for you."
"You can thank me after we have rescued the hostages and got you out of that place."
"I will…"
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