Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 346: The kidnapper’s deadly demand

Augustine got into the car and started the engine, his nerves taut with urgency. He was impatient and desperate to find out who was behind the attack. Just then, his phone rang loudly, making him flinch.

He snatched the phone up, expecting Gustave. But the display showed an unknown number that sent a shiver down his spine.

’Is it the kidnapper?’ he wondered.

His heart trembled as he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hello-Hello," a male voice came through, the sarcasm dripping from his tone. "I know you are worried about your wife. She is with us. Don’t be anxious – she is fine, as for now. And she missed you a lot."

A cold dread crawled through him. Augustine clasped the phone tightly. "Who are you?" he grunted out, his knuckles turning white. "What do you want?"

"You will soon know who we are," the man said with a chilling calmness. "But before that, you have to fulfil our demands."

"How much money do you want?" Augustine muttered. "Name the price, and I’ll pay. But leave my wife."

"What is the hurry?" The man’s tone didn’t change. "Your wife is my guest. She will be safe with me as long as you follow my instructions."

Augustine wanted nothing but to kill that man. But he knew he couldn’t lose his temper now and risked Anne’s safety.

"What is your demand?" he asked.

"I want Lucien."

The name left Augustine in a stunned silence. The man wanted Lucien in exchange for his wife. What enmity could he have with Lucien?

"Bring him here and take your wife back," the man said. "But you can’t alert anyone – not the cops, not anyone from his gang. I want him alone."

Augustine clenched and unclenched his jaw. "Do you know what you are saying? You are asking me to kidnap the mafia king. It’s suicide. He is surrounded by guards, spies. Eyes are everywhere around him. One wrong move, and you will be dead."

"I know. That’s why I chose you – his close ally, his friend. You can go near him without being checked. No one will suspect you. I know you can do it for your beloved wife."

The nerves on his head throbbed. Augustine could do anything for Anne, but kidnapping Lucien? It was nearly impossible. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Remember, your wife is pregnant," the man warned from the other end. "Are you ready to sacrifice her and your unborn child? Bring him without alerting anyone."

"Why should I trust you?" Augustine muttered. "How do I know you won’t betray me once you have him?"

"I know you have every reason to doubt me, but you have no choice. You have to trust me." A low, mocking chuckle escaped his lips. "I assure you of her safety. You have forty-eight hours. Go and bring him. Delay, I can’t promise she will be safe. You know how beautiful she is. The men here are wild. And when a woman like her is around, they can’t control it for long. I can’t stop them either."

"You..." Augustine ground out. "Hurt her, and I’ll finish you."

"Don’t shout," the man shouted in a threatening tone. "You are not in a position to. Obey, if you really want your wife back."

Helplessness seeped into every limb of his body. The images of Anne, frightened and alone, overtook his rational thoughts. Augustine knew how dangerous it was to kidnap the mafia king, but he had to do it to save his pregnant wife.

His mind raced to devise a plan, but every plan seemed insufficient, full of flaws, and brittle against the massive force that surrounded Lucien.

Helpless anger simmered within him. He scrunched up his face. Every cell of his body wanted to fight and bring Anne back. But he had to swallow that anger.

"I want to see her. I want to know she is still alive and unharmed."

The man laughed. "Augustine, Augustine – still so stubborn." His mocking tone and laughter grated on Augustine’s nerves, yet he controlled his temper. "Alright, I’ll fulfil this wish of yours."

After a moment of silence, he said, "Check your phone."

Augustine pulled the phone out of his ear and looked down, only to see a notification of a new, unread message. He clicked it quickly, bracing himself. Anne’s photo filled the screen – tied to a chair, tape pressed across her mouth.

His stomach twisted.

’Anne,’ he whispered in his mind, his thumb hovering over the screen as if trying to caress her face.

"Satisfied." The voice came through the phone.

Augustine put the phone back to his ear, his chest burning.

"You see, she is fine, unharmed. I’ll make sure the baby’s safety as well, only if you bring Lucien here before time runs out. If you try to act smart, you will lose her forever. Remember, I’m watching you."

Beep

"Hello?" Augustine bellowed. "Hello..." He looked down at the screen, but the call had ended already. "Damn it."

His breath came in sharp bursts, his pulse rate quickening. The kidnapper’s demand was impossible to fulfil, but Augustine was ready to go to any length. If it meant to betray his friend, he would do that.

"I’ll do anything for Anne, even sacrifice myself." The determination shone in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts. "I need to stay calm and devise a plan."

He dialed Gustave. The line clicked through almost immediately.

"I’m already at the accident site," Gustave said. "The cops have just arrived and confiscated the whole area. Are you coming?"

"Don’t talk to the cops," Augustine commanded. "Get to my place right away. I have something to tell you."

"Uh..."

Without giving Gustave a chance to speak, Augustine ended the call, stepped out of the car, and went back to the house.

Several minutes later...

Gustave rushed into the house, his expression clouding with worry. He found Augustine seated on the sofa with his shoulders slumped, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"What happened?" Gustave asked, stepping toward him. "Why did you stop me from talking to the cops?"

"They have Anne," Augustine said. "They want Lucien in exchange."

"What?" Gustave gaped at him.

Augustine looked up at him. "I have forty-eight hours. I need to go bring Lucien. And I can’t alert anyone. Do you understand what I mean?"

"What are you talking about?" Gustave paled at the very idea. "You can’t be serious. Exchanging the mafia lord with your wife? This is impossible. His gang members will kill you right away."

"I know it’s dangerous," Augustine muttered, "but I have no choice. I’ve to take this risk to save my wife and child."

"No..." Gustave shook his head. "I can’t let you do this. It’s equal to jumping into the pit of fire. I won’t allow you."

"Gustave." Augustine let out a low grunt, his eyes getting closed. "I am not asking for your permission. I called you to arrange the jet."

Gustave was still hesitant. He couldn’t let Augustine put himself into danger. He licked his lips, his mind racing. "Don’t rush into this," he urged in a pleading tone. "These people are dangerous. You can’t trust them. The kidnapper is forcing you to do this because he knows it’s impossible. He wants you to be killed in this process. I know who these people are."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something, a small piece of metal. "Look what I got. I found it at the accident site. The attackers left it deliberately to declare their identity."

He handed the insignia to him.

Augustine’s gaze narrowed as he took the insignia – a skull, circled by a snake. His blood ran cold. "This is..."

"The old enemy, the vipers," Gustave said. "They are back."

Augustine’s mind raced back to the past when Lucien had the deadly operation. The vipers had been crushed and destroyed completely. But recently, they had started regrouping and even had launched an attack on Lucien, which was the result of a shootout at the island where Augustine and Anne had gone for their honeymoon.

After that incident, Lucien had claimed he had wiped them out yet again. But it seemed that the vipers had still survived. They had come back with deadlier intent. This time, they had targeted him.

Augustine ground his teeth, his fingers gripping around the insignia. His eyes burned with fury.

"They lay such demands to trap you," Gustave said in a warning tone, "to break the friendship between you and the boss, to drive a wedge."

Augustine’s fingers curled on his knees. He had never been a part of Lucien’s gang. He used to be only his fighter. But that life had ended a long time ago. He had started his business and carved his own path. But because he still shared a good bond with Lucien, they kidnapped his pregnant wife.

This was a personal attack, and he would tear the world apart to bring Anne back.

"The vipers are not alone," Gustave continued. "They might have joined hands with the Black Pearl."

Augustine’s head snapped toward him, his frown deepening.

"I got an update from the construction site," Gustave informed. "There was a huge explosion. Several workers were killed, and many were injured. This is total chaos. This can’t be coincidental. The vipers and the Black Pearl are working together. Maybe the other small local gangs have also joined the group. It’s bigger than we had imagined. You can’t fight alone."