Sweeping Him Off His Feet-Chapter 236: Workshop.

For a split second, Augustine sat still as hot beads of tears streamed down his cheeks.

He wanted to scream, to collapse, and he even had the urge to destroy something, but amid it all, he felt compelled to remain frozen. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

His mind raced as he tried to recall who he might have offended.

’Could it be Reuben? One of the boys who claimed I bullied them in high school?’ Augustine asked himself, because right now, that was the only possibility he could think of.

Freda, seated beside him, sobbed nonstop, tears spilling freely as her body trembled uncontrollably.

’I know I just met Reginald, but... but I never expected something like this to happen to him,’ Freda thought, her lips quivering in fear.

"Bree... bree."

The sudden ringing of Augustine’s phone drew their attention. Swiftly, he glanced at the screen and saw that the caller was his private investigator. He picked up almost immediately, holding his breath as he waited for the voice on the other end.

"CEO Augustine, we’ve located the warehouse where Reuben is holding your partner and your best friend hostage. I’ve sent you the address. You need to forward it to the police immediately so they can move in."

Augustine nodded his head several times as a sigh of relief escaped his lips. "I... I’ll do that right now," he said before hanging up the call and checking the location that had been sent to him.

Finally, Augustine breathed out. He turned to Freda and managed a faint smile. "I’ll send you the location so you can forward it to the cops."

Freda nodded.

Augustine quickly forwarded the location. It was only a few blocks away. Freda did not hesitate as she sent the details to the police, and immediately after, Augustine accelerated the engine and drove off. His only focus was getting closer to where Charles and Reginald were being held.

The drive was silent. Both Augustine and Freda sat rigidly, holding their breath as anticipation weighed heavily between them.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Augustine spotted an abandoned building looming ahead. It stood alone in the middle of the woods, swallowed by darkness. He pulled out his phone and checked the location again. It matched. This was where Charles and Reginald were being held hostage.

"This is the place, Freda. Get ready," Augustine said quietly, his eyes fixed on the road.

He switched off the engine and stepped out of the car, with Freda following close behind.

"Don’t you think we should drive closer?" Freda asked in a low voice.

Augustine shook his head. "If we do, the sound of the car might alert Reuben. Stopping here is safer. It’ll also give the cops a discreet place to park when they arrive."

Freda nodded. His reasoning made perfect sense.

With a slight nod, they began walking down the road and soon veered into the woods until they stood directly in front of the building.

"Let’s keep it quiet so we don’t alert anyone before the police arrive," Augustine whispered. Freda nodded in understanding.

They both drew in a long, steady breath before Augustine slowly pushed the door open. A dry, creaking sound followed.

Freda inhaled sharply, fear tightening her chest, yet she forced herself to remain brave as she stared into the darkness beyond the doorway.

They took slow, measured steps forward, and as they fully entered the building, the door behind them slammed shut with a loud thud.

Boom!

Freda jumped in fright, but Augustine remained steady. His only concern was finding Charles. He could not bear the thought of what might have been done to him.

"Turn on your flashlight," Freda whispered as she activated the torch on her phone. Augustine did the same.

He swept the gaze across the space and quickly realised it was an abandoned workshop warehouse. Rusted machines lined the walls, broken tools were scattered across the floor, and thick layers of dust suggested the place had been deserted for years.

As they moved deeper into the warehouse, Freda’s gaze suddenly fixed on something ahead. A single chair stood in the middle of the space.

She hurried toward it, pointing her phone’s light at the seat. "Aug... Augustine," she stammered, her voice trembling. "This is blood."

"What?" Augustine asked, rushing to her side.

Just as Freda had said, the chair was soaked in a pool of dried and fresh blood.

"This means Charles and Reginald were here not long ago," Augustine said grimly. "It looks like Reuben moved them from this place."

A deep frown settled on his face as his chest rose and fell. He continued scanning the warehouse, desperate for any clue that could lead them closer to their partners.

"Fre... Freda, I... I have a feeling we just walked into a trap," Augustine stammered. As he angled his phone light to the left, he noticed a thin liquid spread across the floor. Even from a distance, the sharp smell of fuel reached him.

At his words, Freda hurried to his side and followed the direction of his gaze, her own phone light cutting through the darkness. She stared at the fuel on the floor and released a frustrated sigh. "If this is a trap," she whispered shakily, "then Reuben must have left something behind. Some clue that leads us to our partners."

Freda began to follow the trail of fuel, her steps slow and cautious. It led her to a large black drum concealed beneath a thick, dirty brown cloth. "Hey," she murmured, tilting her head slightly toward it to draw Augustine’s attention without speaking aloud.

A sense of dread settled heavily in her chest. Something dangerous is inside this drum, Freda thought.

Augustine moved closer, his breath shallow. With one hand, he pulled the stained cloth aside while the other clenched into a fist.

A low sound came from within the drum.

Augustine’s eyes widened. He quickly directed his flashlight inside.

The drum was half-filled with fuel. Curled tightly within it was Reginald, bound into a ball, his mouth sealed with tape. His body was smeared with blood, staining the fuel around him as it reached up toward his neck, the liquid darkening with the color of his wounds.

"My God... how.."

"What the..."

"Hello there, Augustine Wales."

The smooth, devious voice cut through their shock. Freda and Augustine froze, their words dying in their throats as they held their breath, stunned.