Chapter 482

Nervously, the traffic cop and police reacted upon seeing Lawrence.

"Mr. Rodriguez, this is the Fourth Bridge in Trento City-secluded with minimal traffic flow. This bend is one-way and accidents are rare, so there's no camera surveillance here. The next camera is a mile away..."

"Retrieve footage from the surveillance cameras at both ends of the bridge and identify any suspicious vehicles. Also, map out all the stops Winnie's car made before the accident-I want every detail!" Lawrence commanded.

Jeremy furrowed his brow. "Mr. Rodriguez, do you think the person who tampered with her car is the same one who pushed the car off the bridge and took her?"

"I'm not sure."

Lawrence's breath was laced with anxiety, "The priority is to save her!"

The traffic cop hurriedly nodded, got into his car, and began accessing the network of cameras.

But the traffic cop immediately received another call, this time from a higher-up at the Department of Transportation, "Officer, assist Mr. Rodriguez with the post-accident surveillance only; the footage prior to the accident... Any records of the car at the bar's parking lot need to be wiped."

The cop felt sweat beading on his forehead, "Boss... You're asking me to deceive Lawrence?"

"It's a family feud; proceed with the order!"

The boss hung up and quickly returned a call to Hellen...

Lawrence stood watchfully beside the traffic cop's vehicle. Soon after, the cop removed footage from the Hill surveillance point.

"Mr. Rodriguez, our investigation revealed that, following the car accident, a suspicious Volvo was seen moving erratically at the next intersection."

Lawrence quickly turned on the surveillance video.

Through the grainy footage, the black Volvo was veering left and right, as if someone was fighting for control of the steering wheel.

Lawrence paused the video, zoomed in on the image. For a split second, a woman's delicate hand was visible through the car window before being yanked back inside.

"It's Winnie!" Lawrence was almost certain without having to guess.

Jeremy was relieved. "Thank goodness she's smart, tugging at the wheel and flashing her arm."

"She knew I'd see it," Lawrence said with a smirk playing on his lips.

Jeremy snorted, "She did it for me, not you! You weren't supposed to be here."

Lawrence sighed.

He wasn't supposed to be here?

How could he not be here? The moment he knew she was in mortal danger, a piece of his heart had crushed.

"Send the Volvo's tracking information to my phone."

Lawrence swiftly got in his car, with Jeremy following suit.

The Volvo was last seen heading toward a vineyard on the outskirts of Trento City.

There were two roads there; one leading to the vineyard estate and the other speeding straight past it.

"I'll follow the trail down the road; you check the vineyard for Winnie," Jeremy volunteered.

Lawrence got out of his car and leaped over the vineyard's fence, surmounting the gate, with the hillside and its wine cellars looming behind. He searched his way uphill.

Almost an hour had passed since she was taken, and every second lagging behind only increased the danger.

His heart was racing with urgency.

The mountainside was vast, and without any sign of wine cellar entrances, Lawrence stood bewildered at the crossroads.

Suddenly, something sparkled on the ground ahead.

Lawrence lifted his phone for light and walked over to pick up a glow-in-the-dark earring.

Such a delicate item was typically owned by a refined woman, and here, in this secluded winery, it was out of place.

He felt a surge of hope. Winnie was leaving a trail all along!

Thankfully, he had discovered it.

Scanning the surrounding area, he finally found the missing black Volvo behind a storage shed.

Lawrence texted the police with the location of the winery.

To avoid startling the captors, he remained silent. After a careful search, about four hundred yards from where he found the earring, he located an entrance to an underground storage facility.

Staring at the locked iron door, his gaze pierced through the barrier, his fists clenched tight.

With a splash, Winnie, bound tightly, was thrown into a pool. The overpowering smell of alcohol invaded her eyes and nose, causing her to choke, unable to breathe.

Just as she felt like she was going to suffocate, three thugs lifted her out of the water.

"Who the hell sent you? Help..." She tried to scream.

But a hand pinched her jaw open, and a syringe was rapidly plunged into her throat.

"No... don't!" she protested feebly.

Tasteless, colorless liquid-there was nothing more dangerous.

Winnie's eyes widened in terror as she struggled in vain, the substance forcefully making its way down her throat.

"It works quickly," one of them remarked with a cruel smile.

"Ha! The boss changed their mind. Said we could have our fun before we kill you."

"We've got to make this quick."

They talked among themselves while the choking Winnie was pushed back into the pool of alcohol, her body soaking wet.

Then they dragged her out again, tossing her onto the ground nearby.

Within a minute or two, she felt completely drained of strength, her breathing unnaturally rapid as if her heart was about to burst from her chest.

The cold glint of a knife blade shone menacingly against her temple.

Her collar was gripped by a thug's hand and torn open with a swift motion.

"Don't touch me!... Mmmph!" Her mouth was stuffed with a gag.

She lay there, powerless to move.

Another thug poured a bucket of alcohol all over her.

A torch was placed standing on the ground beside her feet, and with a menacing look, one gave her a slap, "Stay still! We all take turns! Remember, you're soaked in booze. If you catch fire, the entire warehouse will become an inferno that consumes you!"

Her eyes widened with terror, reflecting her panic in their bloodshot appearance. Surrounded by barrels of alcohol and a pool of the flammable liquid, she was like tinder ready to ignite.

Her fingers clawed at the ground until her nails broke, her mind felt hazy, sapping her strength.

Was she going to die at their hands, right here?

Who wanted her to die this brutal death?

As her collar was ripped open and her pencil skirt cut up to her waist, Winnie's eyes filled with tears of panic and despair.

Jeremy hadn't come to her rescue, and neither had the cops!

And that man... he was even less likely to show up!

She didn't want to die, not when she had her Sidney, her Oscar...

Her eyes dilating in terror as they advanced on her, Winnie's cry was a shattered scream.

"Touch her and I swear, you're dead!"

The menacing roar of a man's voice echoed throughout.

Was that... his voice?

Winnie opened her bloodshot eyes in disbelief, fearing it was a hallucination-

The thug atop her was suddenly kicked away by a powerful blow from Lawrence.

The room was almost pitch dark, but when Winnie truly realized that Lawrence had come for her, the threatening knife above her shifted away.

The thugs were well-trained criminals with swift reflexes!

Lawrence squatted down, his eyes bloodshot as he saw Winnie in her tattered state. His breath hitched, his Adam's apple moving harshly.

He couldn't even speak, his large hands trembled as he tried to lift her up.

"Be careful!" Winnie, her mouth gagged, couldn't scream for help.

And that dagger, from behind Lawrence, plunged into his body with swift, lethal precision.

Lawrence's solid frame shook, and he stood frozen to the spot, blood began to seep through the front of his white shirt soon after.

It was right above his heart-the dagger had pierced through his body!

"Lawrence! Lawrence!" Winnie's cries turned into muffled roars within her throat.

Her body shook uncontrollably, overwhelmed by shock...