Seven Days Seven Nights (Nicholas and Nancy)
Chapter 210

Chapter 210 Heart-pounding Rescue (2)

As the couple descended the mountain, Nicholas tightly held Nancy's hand, replaceing solace in its delicate, comforting touch.

The kidnappers watched them leave. One of Puck's lackeys went ahead. "Are we letting them go just like that, Mr. Wolfe?" Puck's response was brief and cold. "Yes."

Another lackey came forward. "Are you sure he'll give us the remaining money, Mr. Wolfe?"

"I don't know," Puck said.

"What should we do? Don't worry. Give us the word, and we'll capture them."

Puck turned around and smacked the head of the lackey who just spoke. "You idiot. We can't capture them now. Didn't you hear Sallow? If we didn't let the woman go, he'd kill us."

"You don't have to be scared of them, Mr. Wolfe. We've gotten a lot of money, so why don't we..." The lackey drew his hand across his throat, implying the sinister notion of killing the couple.

Puck smacked his head again. "Is murder all you can think of? Once I do that, the whole nation will be after me. I'll be living in the shadows forever like a rat. Even if I don't get the remaining money, I have enough to spend. And besides, the boss told us to lay low for a while. If it weren't for the gambling debt, I wouldn't have done this. This was risky. Listen here, if anyone tells the boss about this operation, I'll skin him alive."

"Yes, Mr. Wolfe."

Just then, they received a message. It was the location of the hidden money sent by Nicholas. They quickly dug it out, discovering 150 grand in the hole. Ten minutes later, Nicholas and Nancy were already one-quarter of the way to safety. Puck secured another 150 grand.

The couple kept looking behind them, but they saw no pursuers. She finally heaved a sigh of relief. "Are we safe now, Nicholas?"

"Not yet. Ten more minutes," he said.

"How did you know they would let us go?"

"Given the choice between a pile of money and certain death, no one would choose the latter. That's human nature. And I've asked Lynn to look into that guy. He has a complex background, but he fears death. A lot. So, I gambled on the possibility that he would want to live."

"What if he did shoot?" She was still shuddering from the memory of having a gun pointed at their

heads.

Nicholas held Nancy tightly, and he breathed quickly. "I'm not afraid of death, but I'm terrified of losing you. I won't let that happen."

Touched by his words, she gently caressed his face. "But I'm scared for your life too, you dummy."

"Alright, you don't have to worry, Nancy. I'm alive and well, aren't I?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

With a loving look exchanged between them, Nicholas kissed Nancy's hand and continued leading her down the path. It was at that moment that shouts erupted from behind them.

"Get them! Get them!"

"Get them!"

"You called the police? I'll kill you!" Puck shouted.

"You called the police, Nicholas?" she asked.

"No time to explain." Nicholas grabbed Nancy's hand tightly and ran down as fast as he could. "Hold on, Nancy. We have to leave this mountain as soon as possible."

"Okay." She nodded and followed him without asking.

However, the kidnappers were familiar with this terrain, routinely navigating the mountain. Running down the path was effortless for the couple, and the kidnappers swiftly closed in on their trail. Puck's eyes were red with fury. "Open fire! Open fire!"

Gunshots erupted through the woods, and fear gripped Nancy. She clutched Nicholas' hand with one hand and her head with the other, sprinting at full speed. Suddenly, a bullet whizzed past her ear. Her grip on her head tightened, and she began to tremble. He shielded her, lifting her into his arms as he continued to race downhill.

The pursuers relentlessly pursued them. A few minutes later, he came to a sudden stop, still holding her hand. As she looked ahead, she realized there was only a cliff before them. It wasn't a bottomless abyss but the ridge was almost a sheer drop, with jagged rocks protruding from all angles, a truly terrifying sight. A wide ravine yawned beneath the cliff.

The pursuer's were closing in. "That's a cliff! They have nowhere to go! Get them! I need them alive!"

"Nancy, come here," Nicholas said gently.

She stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Are you scared?" He looked at her.

"I was," Nancy said. She then smiled. "But I'm not scared now, as long as you're here."

"Good. Hold tight."

"Yeah." She held Nicholas tightly. He extended his hand and held her in his embrace, covering her head at the same time.

"They can't escape. Get them!"

As the thugs closed in, Nicholas made a split-second decision, leaping off the cliff with Nancy in his

arms. The couple tumbled down the stone wall, prompting Puck to charge forward and unleash a barrage of gunfire in their direction. "Open fire!"

The command echoed, and the thugs began shooting at the falling couple.

Nicholas, his eyes widened with fear, spotted a bullet hurtling straight toward Nancy. Without a second thought, he pulled her even closer, sacrificing his arm to shield her. His face contorted in pain, and he let out a stifled groan.

"What's wrong, Nicholas?"

"I broke my finger, but I'm alright now." He shook his head. "Don't worry."

The gunfire poured like rainfall, relentlessly targeting the couple. Determined to keep moving, she was unable to focus on anything else amidst the relentless barrage of bullets. However, the unending gunfire eventually wore her down. Clutching him tightly, she couldn't help but ask; "Are we going to die, Nicholas?"

"No," Nicholas responded firmly. He was determined not to let her die.

At the crescendo of the gunfire, a squadron of police suddenly surged forward, their weapons unleashing a cacophony of shots. The intense exchange continued for about ten minutes until the entire woods fell into an eerie silence.

Some time passed before Nancy cautiously peered out from Nicholas' embrace. She whispered, "Are we out of danger now?"

Nicholas shook his head. "Our reinforcements haven't arrived."

Surprised, she asked, "Didn't you call the police, and they came to save us?"