Chapter 677: Rescue

The clock on Dayo’s phone changed to 11:59 p.m.

He checked the drone feed one last time. The men outside the building were still in their positions, though one had moved closer to the entrance. Another stood near a vehicle parked beside the wall.

Dayo put the phone away.

"We move now."

Max adjusted the strap across his chest while Bella checked the equipment she had brought. They had already discussed what they needed to do. There was no point going over everything again when they were this close.

The three of them left their temporary position and approached the building from different directions. Dayo kept to the front, watching the two men near the entrance. Max moved along the side, while Bella continued toward the rear, where the generator and a possible escape route were located.

Dayo waited until Max was in position.

Then he gave the signal.

The main power supply went down.

Every light inside the building disappeared at once. The men outside reacted immediately. One reached for his phone, while another turned toward the entrance and shouted something to the people inside.

Dayo remained where he was, watching.

A few seconds later, the backup generator started. Lights came on inside the building, although some of them flickered before settling. The kidnappers had prepared for a power failure, but the interruption had given Dayo and his team the opening they needed.

A voice came from inside.

"John, are you there?"

Nobody answered.

The same voice called again, louder this time. "John!"

Someone near the entrance turned toward the corridor. "Go and check on him."

The man started moving away from the door.

Dayo watched him disappear inside. He could hear the others speaking, their voices carrying through the entrance. They were trying to work out what had happened to their colleague.

Max’s voice came through the communication device.

"Someone’s coming your way."

Dayo looked toward the corner. A guard had stepped outside and was moving along the front of the building. He appeared to be checking the area, though his attention was mostly on the failed power supply.

"Keep him busy," Max said quietly.

Dayo stepped out far enough for the guard to notice him.

The man stopped.

"Hey! Who’s there?"

Dayo moved back around the corner. The guard followed, drawing closer while calling out again. He did not get another chance to speak. Max came up behind him and knocked him down before he could turn.

They pulled him out of the open and checked that he was no longer a threat.

"Done," Max said.

Dayo looked toward the entrance. "Stay close."

Inside, the kidnappers had begun to realize something was wrong. Their attempts to contact the men outside were failing. One of them tried his phone several times before throwing his hands up in frustration.

"My signal’s gone."

"Use the radio."

"I tried. Nothing."

The leader came out of the corridor, visibly irritated. "Stop standing around. Everyone get to the back room. Now."

The remaining guards began moving toward the room. They were no longer behaving like men who had everything under control. Their communications had failed, one of their men was missing, and someone had cut the power to the building.

Dayo heard the movement through the entrance and waited until the last man had gone inside.

He knew there could be another way out. The building had been chosen because it was secluded, but that did not mean the people using it had only one exit. He had already told Bella to watch the rear, and she was in position.

Dayo moved through the front entrance.

The interior was dim, lit only by the backup lights. He passed the first corridor and reached the room where the kidnappers had gathered. A door at the far end stood partly open.

Beyond it was a narrow passage leading toward the back of the building.

An escape route.

Dayo stopped just long enough to confirm what he was seeing, then spoke into his communication device.

"Max, move toward the front. They may try to get out through the back."

"On my way."

"Bella?"

"I’m already there," she replied. "Nobody’s getting past me."

Dayo moved closer to the room.

The leader was speaking to the others. "We leave now. Take the girl and get to the vehicle."

Dayo stepped into view.

"Put her down."

The men turned toward him. For a moment, nobody moved. Then the leader pulled Jennifer closer and raised his weapon.

Dayo saw his daughter in his arms.

She looked small and sleepy, her head resting against the man’s shoulder. He could not tell whether she was fully awake. Her little body shifted as the leader tightened his hold on her.

"Don’t come any closer," the man warned.

Dayo stopped.

The leader stared at him. "We know you’re the one. You better stop this, or your daughter will be in danger."

Dayo felt the words land, but he forced himself to keep his attention on Jennifer. He could not afford to let the man see how badly the threat had affected him.

"You’ve got nowhere to go," Dayo said. "The front is covered, and the back is covered. Put her down and surrender."

One of the kidnappers glanced toward the open passage. Another looked at the leader, waiting for him to decide what they should do.

"Boss, we need to move," one of them said.

"Shut up."

"We can’t stay here."

The leader shifted Jennifer in his arms. "I said shut up!"

Dayo watched his hands. The man was agitated, and that made him dangerous. Jennifer was still close to his weapon. Dayo needed him to lower it, even if only for a second.

"Listen to me," Dayo said, keeping his voice steady. "You don’t need to make this worse. Let the child go."

The leader laughed without any real amusement. "You think you can tell me what to do?"

"I’m telling you to put her down."

A guard near the wall began reaching for something at his waist. Dayo saw the movement and turned toward him.

The man was trying to reload.

Dayo fired.

The shot struck the man’s hand, forcing him to drop the weapon. Before he could recover, Dayo fired again. The guard fell, and the others immediately moved away from him.

The leader shouted in anger.

"You’ve annoyed me enough!"

He pulled Jennifer closer and raised his weapon toward her.

"I’ll kill her even if I die here!"

For a brief moment, Dayo could not hear anything except those words. His daughter was right there, held by a man who had just threatened to kill her. The fear he had been trying to control surged back, and he moved before the leader could steady his aim.

Dayo charged from behind the pillar.

The leader tried to turn the weapon toward him, but Dayo reached him first. He struck the man’s arm and forced it away from Jennifer, then grabbed him and drove him back against the wall.

Jennifer slipped from the leader’s hold. Dayo caught her and moved her behind him as the man struggled.

A second kidnapper suddenly came through the bathroom doorway. He rushed toward Dayo, who was still holding Jennifer close.

Max and Bella emerged from their positions and intercepted him. Max forced the man away from Dayo, while Bella moved in to help bring him down. The attacker fought for a few seconds before they managed to restrain him.

Dayo kept the leader pinned against the wall.

"Drop the weapon," he ordered.

The man struggled beneath him.

"Drop it!"

The weapon hit the floor.

Dayo kicked it away and held the man there until Max came over.

"Take him," Dayo said.

Max secured the leader while Bella checked the other men. The immediate danger had passed, though none of them relaxed until they were sure the room was under control.

Dayo turned toward Jennifer.

She was in his arms now, her small hands gripping his shirt. Her face was pressed against his chest, and she had begun to cry.

"Dada," she murmured.

Dayo held her closer.

"I’m here, baby. Papa’s here."

He checked her carefully, making sure she had not been hurt. She was frightened and tired, but he could not see any obvious injury. He kissed the top of her head and kept talking softly until her crying began to ease.

Bella came closer. "Is she okay?"

"She’s scared," Dayo replied. "I think that’s all."

"Let me check her."

Dayo allowed Bella to look her over while he kept one arm around Jennifer. Bella was gentle and careful, checking her hands and face without upsetting her further.

"She seems okay," Bella said. "We should still get her checked properly."

"We will."

Max returned after securing the last of the kidnappers. "The place is under control. We need to leave."

Dayo looked around the room. He could see the men they had restrained, the open passage at the back, and the equipment scattered across a table. He knew they could not stay there for long.

"Get everyone ready," he said. "We’re taking Jennifer home."

Before leaving, Dayo took out his phone and called the contact his uncle Marcos had given him years earlier. Marcos had served in the military and had died while on duty, but before his death he had passed along a few names to Dayo. He had told him that if he ever found himself in a situation where he needed help, he could reach out to them.

One of those contacts was David.

The call connected after a few rings.

"Dayo?"

"David, it’s me. I’m done here. I need you to clean the place, spotless. Make sure nothing is left behind that can lead back to us."

There was a brief pause.

"Understood," David said. "Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Is the little girl safe?"

"Yeah. I’ve got her. She’s with me."

"I’m glad to hear that. Marcos would have wanted her safe."

Dayo looked down at Jennifer, who had fallen quiet against him. "I know."

"We’ll handle the rest. You just get her home."

"Thank you, David. I owe you."

"You don’t owe me anything. Take care of the child."

The call ended.

Dayo put the phone away and looked toward Max and Bella. They were ready to leave, and Jennifer was still holding tightly to him.

"Let’s go," he said.

They left the building together, taking Jennifer away from the place where she had been held. Dayo kept her close throughout the journey, speaking to her whenever she stirred.

For the first time since the call that had told him she was gone, he could hold his daughter without someone threatening to take her away.

She was safe.

And he was taking her home.

At the police station, Michael checked his phone again.

There had been no message from the kidnappers for some time. He tried calling the number he had been given, but the call went unanswered. After waiting a little longer, he tried again.

Nothing.

Michael moved his chair closer to the desk and called Silas.

Silas answered from the IRS holding facility. "What happened?"

"I can’t reach the team."

"Have you tried the handler?"

"Not yet. I wanted to check with you first."

Silas sounded irritated. "Then call the agency. They’re supposed to be managing this."

Michael ended the call and contacted the agency through which they had hired the men. The person who answered took a moment to confirm the operation details before giving him an update.

"We haven’t been able to reach the team," the representative said. "Our last contact was earlier. Since then, there’s been no response."

Michael sat still.

"What do you mean, no response?"

"We’ve tried the available numbers. We’re still attempting to establish contact."

"Keep trying," Michael said. "I want to know what’s happening as soon as you hear anything."

He ended the call and contacted Silas again.

"They can’t reach them either."

Silas was quiet for a moment. "That’s not good."

"No, it isn’t."

"We were careful," Silas said. "The men were hired through the agency, and they weren’t connected to us directly. We made sure of that."

Michael rubbed his forehead. "I know what we did. I’m saying something may have gone wrong."

"We don’t know that yet. It could be a communications problem. Wait until the agency has something useful to tell us."

Michael looked at the unanswered call on his screen.

He wanted to believe Silas was right, but the lack of contact bothered him. They had expected the operation to proceed according to plan, and now the people responsible for carrying it out had gone silent.

Still, there was nothing he could do from the police station.

"Fine," Michael said. "I’ll wait for their next update."

Silas ended the call.

Neither man knew that Dayo had already reached the building, taken Jennifer from the kidnappers, and left with her.

While they waited for news, Dayo was on his way home with his daughter in his arms.

A/N: Hey guys, please bear with me! The device I use to write broke recently, so it’s a real struggle for me to type out updates right now. On top of that, my network connection has been awful. Updates might be less frequent for a bit, but I really appreciate your patience and support!