Chapter 607

"Mom, it's me and Travis."

Gabriel's voice, though young, was surprisingly clear. "We found a phone. Those two bad people thought we ran away, but we were hiding under the bed. Now they're out looking for us."

Zoey felt a wave of dizziness and had to steady herself against the table.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

Zoey knew she couldn't let her anxiety affect Gabriel and Travis, especially since her two sons were only three years old.

"Sweetie, where are you now? Are you safe?" Zoey tried to keep her voice as calm as possible.

"We're in a house with a bed and a couch," Gabriel described to Zoey. "The windows are boarded up."

He detailed everything he saw to Zoey as best as he could.

"Listen, sweetheart, Mommy needs you to do something very important."

Zoey quickly picked up another phone and sent an urgent message to Henry. "Can you find the map on the phone? The one with a little dot showing where you are?"

There was a moment of silence, then Gabriel's uncertain voice came through. "Mom, I can't find it. The phone is locked."

Zoey bit her lip and thought of another way. "It's okay, sweetie. Do you see a little arrow or location icon in the top right corner of the screen? Tap it."

She knew Gabriel was smart and would figure it out.

There was some noise, then Gabriel's excited voice. "Mom, I found it! I tapped the little arrow!"

"Great! Now do you see the 'share location' option? Tap it and choose Mommy's number."

Zoey's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from her chest. She stared at her computer screen, praying the location information would come through.

"Done!" Gabriel announced.

A few seconds later, a map notification popped up on Zoey's computer. Location information received! She immediately forwarded the coordinates to Henry and the local police while continuing to reassure Gabriel. "Sweetie, you did amazing! Daddy and the police are on their way. Now you need to hide again, but not under the bed. The kidnappers will definitely check there when they come back."

Gabriel obediently agreed. "Mom, I love you and Daddy."

That sentence nearly shattered Zoey's forced calm, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"Mommy loves you, and Travis. Be brave, Daddy and Mommy will be there soon."

After hanging up, Gabriel followed Zoey's instructions, carefully placing the phone back on the table in its original position, even adjusting the angle to make sure it looked untouched.

Then, Gabriel took Travis's hand. "Travis, we need to find a new place to hide."

Travis blinked in confusion. "Why don't we keep hiding under the bed? It's pretty good there."

"Because the bad people will definitely check under the bed first," Gabriel explained like a little adult. "Mommy's right, we need to find a new place."

Gabriel and Travis tiptoed around the house, searching for a hiding spot.

The kitchen was too small, and the bathroom too exposed.

Finally, Gabriel noticed the back door wasn't completely shut, leaving a small gap.

"Let's go outside!" He pointed to the gap.

Gabriel and Travis slipped out the back door into a weed-filled yard.

At the end of the yard was a dilapidated shed with the door half open.

Gabriel led Travis, crouching low, and they ran into the shed.

Inside, it was filled with fishing nets, buoys, and various rusty tools, but there was a relatively clean spot in the corner, blocked by some empty boxes.

"Here!" Gabriel whispered, pulling Travis behind the boxes.

The space was tight, and Gabriel and Travis had to press close together to stay hidden.

They had barely settled in when a loud bang came from the front door, followed by angry cursing.

"Where could those little brats have gone?" It was the red-haired woman's voice, sharper and more grating than before. "I've searched the whole island!"

"Calm down," the blonde woman was relatively composed, but her voice also carried anxiety. "They're only three years old, they can't have gone far. They must still be in this house."

In the shed, Travis clung to Gabriel's arm in fear, while Gabriel listened intently to the sounds outside.

The kidnappers' footsteps echoed through the house, rummaging through everything.

"Not under the bed!" The red-haired woman roared. "I told you we should have tied them up!"

"Tying them up would leave marks, the buyer won't want kids with injuries," the blonde woman retorted, her patience wearing thin. "Search again! They must be hiding somewhere."

The footsteps grew closer, and Gabriel and Travis held their breath.

The shed door was yanked open, sunlight flooding the dark space.

Gabriel and Travis pressed against the wall, hidden behind the large wooden boxes, appearing as just shadows from the kidnappers' perspective.

"Could anyone hide in this dump?" The red-haired woman scanned the shed but didn't step inside.

The blonde woman sighed behind her. "Forget it, they're not here. We need to expand our search. The buyer will be here in three hours, and if we don't deliver..."

"Shut up!" The red-haired woman snapped. "We'll find those little brats, and when we do, I'll teach them a lesson about running away!"

"Don't do anything stupid," the blonde woman warned. "Gabriel and Travis are worth half a million dollars. Don't ruin this deal because of your temper."

Their voices faded, but Gabriel and Travis remained motionless.

Travis's eyes were filled with tears, but he remembered Gabriel's advice and bit his lip to keep from crying out.

Gabriel held Travis tightly, his small chest heaving with tension.

In the distance, an engine roared to life, the kidnappers seemingly deciding to search the island by car.

Gabriel knew they were temporarily safe, but the danger was far from over.

When would Mom and Dad arrive? What if the kidnappers came back first? Gabriel's three-year-old mind was filled with fear and questions, but he had to stay strong, for Travis and for himself.

Meanwhile, several miles away on the ocean, Henry stood at the bow of a speedboat, his eyes fixed on the GPS showing the blinking dot where Gabriel and Travis were.

The speedboat surged forward at full throttle, followed by two police patrol boats.

"Faster!" Henry shouted at the driver, his urgent voice torn apart by the sea wind. He knew every second could mean the difference between life and death, every minute crucial to Gabriel and Travis's safety.