When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 274: Captured

Chapter 274: Captured

"Yes," Samuel confirmed. "We’ve freed them. You don’t have to follow Frank’s orders anymore."

Billy’s voice came through in the background, shaky but audible. "Does this mean... we’re free? Frank can’t threaten us anymore?"

Samuel’s tone softened slightly, though his urgency remained. "That’s exactly what it means. But now, I need you to tell me everything you know. Where is Frank?"

There was hesitation on Bart’s end. "He didn’t tell us where he’d be... but he called us last night. He told us to... to kidnap Zinnia."

Samuel’s jaw tightened, but he forced his voice to stay steady. "Don’t even think about touching her. If you’ve truly been forced by him, this is your chance to come clean and make things right."

Bart sounded near tears. "We didn’t want to do it! He threatened our families—"

"And now they’re safe," Samuel cut in firmly. "You have no reason to obey him anymore. Do the right thing and stay out of this. Let me handle Frank."

There was a pause before Bart finally muttered, "Okay. We’ll stay out of it."

Samuel ended the call and looked at Lily and Timmy. "They’re out. They won’t touch Zinnia now."

Lily folded her arms, her brow furrowed. "That’s one less problem, but we have a bigger issue. Zinnia is in our home country, isn’t she?"

Samuel’s eyes widened slightly as realization dawned. "Frank must be there too. If he told us he’s holding her, it means he’s not here anymore. He must have left right after the raid."

"Also Zinnia isn’t actually in his hands right now. He’s just trying to scare us. After all, I have some of my men watching over Zinnia, so it’s impossible for Frank to get to her without my men reporting it to me," Lily said thoughtfully.

She nodded to herself. "It makes sense. He must have assumed we wouldn’t connect the dots so quickly. He probably thought he could stay ahead of us."

Timmy, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "If he’s there, we need to move fast. He knows we’re onto him, and he’ll get desperate."

Lily tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Agreed. I’ll mobilize my men in the home country. They’ll start tracking him down immediately. We can’t afford to lose any time."

Samuel’s expression was a mix of determination and worry. "We need to get back there. Zinnia’s safety is the priority now."

Lily nodded, already pulling out her phone. "I’ll arrange the flight. We leave as soon as possible."

Timmy glanced at Samuel. "Do you think she’s okay?"

Samuel’s fists clenched, his voice low but resolute. "She has to be. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she stays that way."

Samuel pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Zinnia’s number. He waited as the line rang once, twice, and then went straight to voicemail. His heart sank as he tried again, only to get the same result. He frowned and glanced at Timmy. "Her phone seems to be off."

Timmy’s brows furrowed. "That’s strange. Miss Zinnia rarely turns off her phone, right?"

Samuel nodded, his concern deepening. He tightened his grip on the phone, his jaw clenching.

Lily, who was standing a few steps away, just finished giving instructions to her men. She turned back to Samuel and Timmy with a sharp expression. "What?" she asked, noticing Samuel’s tense demeanor.

"Zinnia’s phone is off," Samuel replied grimly.

Lily’s eyes narrowed. She tapped her own phone and spoke with urgency, "I just notified my men to keep a close watch on Zinnia. If Frank tries anything, they’ll report it immediately. But we can’t take any chances. We should head back now."

She paused, her tone colder now, her hands balling into fists. "That damn Frank is dead meat if he ever dares hurt Zinnia."

Without wasting any more time, the three of them headed to Lily’s private jet. As they prepared to board, Lily’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. She quickly scanned it, her eyes narrowing before looking up at Samuel and Timmy.

"Frank is blacklisted in our home country," she began, her voice steady. "He can’t enter legally. My men found him in the outskirts of the city. He’s being held by them right now."

Timmy exhaled in relief. "That’s one less thing to worry about."

Lily turned to Samuel, her gaze sharp. "So, what’s the plan? Do you want to go meet him or head straight home?"

Samuel’s expression darkened, and his voice was cold and resolute. "Go home. Let the authorities handle him. He’ll probably rot in jail for the rest of his life. My priority is Zinnia. I need to see her and make sure she’s safe with my own eyes."

Lily nodded, her voice softening slightly. "Understood. I’ll make sure Frank pays for everything he’s done. You don’t need to worry about that."

With their decision made, they boarded the private jet and began their journey back home.

The moment the plane landed, Samuel barely waited for it to come to a full stop before stepping off and heading straight for his car. Lily and Timmy followed closely behind, but they didn’t try to stop him. They knew where his mind was.

By the time Samuel reached the house, his heart was pounding in his chest. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, calling out, "Zia! I’m home!"

Silence greeted him. The house was eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. Samuel’s eyes scanned the living room, but there was no sign of her.

"Zia?" he called again, louder this time, as he walked further into the house. His footsteps echoed slightly against the hardwood floors.

He checked the kitchen, the dining room, even the garden and at the back. Nothing. She wasn’t there.

His heart sank as he murmured under his breath, "Where is she?"

Samuel hurried up the stairs, his mind racing with possibilities. He opened the door to her bedroom, hoping to find her there, but the room was empty. Her bed was neatly made, and her belongings were untouched.

He clenched his fists, frustration and worry gnawing at him. He stepped out of the room and paced the hallway, running a hand through his hair. "Where could she have gone?" he muttered.