Chapter 5 It's Thrilling
2017 Words
Bryson was used to Hermione's gentle and quiet appearance. This was the first time she saw her being flustered, like a frightened kitten.
Bryson found it interesting, so he smiled and teased Hermione, "You came in by yourself. I couldn't even push you away."
Hermione's ears turned red. "That's impossible."
Bryson gave a bigger smile. "Next time, I'll record it with my phone in ace you will deny it."
Hermione was extremely embarrassed. She hurriedly turned around, picked up her shirt from the bedside table, and put it on.
In her panic, Hermione didn't even realize that she mismatched the buttons.
Bryson watched the slender woman wearing clothes, but what jumped to his mind was her sleeping beside him last night.
Hermione might have dreamed of some terrible things. She curled up into a small ball, shivering.
Bryson pulled Hermione into his arms, patted her, and coaxed her. But Hermione closed her eyes and mumbled, "Greg."
Bryson couldn't remember how many times Hermione had been like this. He thought, how much does she love that man so that she is so obsessed with him?
Bryson had asked people to investigate Greg for a long time, but they found nothing.
Last time Bryson asked Hermione about it, but she avoided answering the question.
Her silence was an insult to him. But it was even so if she told Bryson.
The smile on his face completely disappeared. Bryson picked up the watch and put it on his wrist. He said casually, "I might not return home until late at night. Help me find an excuse and tell Grandma."
Hermione stopped buttoning her shirt.
She knew that Bryson would come back very late because he was going to the hospital to accompany Vivian.
Hermione felt so humiliated that she was about to cry. And her heart ached as if it was stabbed.
After a long while, Hermione said, "About the divorce, I will persuade Jamya. Sorry for any trouble."
"I'm sorry too." Bryson looked at her meaningfully.
After breakfast, the driver of the old house sent Hermione to Knicker Antique Shop.
She worked the whole day.
When it was time to get off work, Hermione received a call from the driver. "Mrs. Gosling, my car was hit by a drunk driver. I have to wait for the traffic police to deal with it. Can you go home by taxi?"
"OK."
Hermione carried her bag and walked out of Antique Street.
When she turned a corner, two men caught up to her and blocked her way.
The tall and thin one said, "Are you Hermione? Please come with us."
Hermione looked at them warily. They were about 27 or 28 years old. It was night, but they had worn sunglasses and looked suspicious. And there was a faint smell of dirt on them.
Hermione panicked and asked, "Where are we going?"
The tall and thin man said, "We want you to repair an ancient painting. Don't worry. We don't mean any harm. And we will pay you according to the market price."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "You can send the painting to the shop where I work."
The bald man raised his eyebrows and said, "Cut the crap. Just take her away."
Hermione ran as soon as she heard that.
Before she could run away, the bald man grabbed her arm and dragged her into a black car parked by the roadside.
The car started.
The thin and tall man took out Hermione's phone from her bag and said, "Call your family and tell them that you are going out with your friends for a few days. Tell them not to worry."
Hermione instinctively wanted to call Bryson. But then she thought, he may have gone to the hospital to accompany Vivian, he wouldn't have time to care about me. I should call my mother.
Hermione let the tall and thin man find her mother's number.
After she got through to the number, Hermione said, "Mom, I will go out with my friend for a few days. You have diabetes. Remember to take the antidiabetic drug on time..."
Before Hermione finished speaking, the tall and thin man took away her phone and turned it off.
He took out a piece of black cloth and covered Hermione's eyes.
The car seemed to have driven for a long time before it finally stopped.
Hermione was brought to an old small building.
They took the stairs and went to the third floor.
The men opened the door. There was a big red table in the middle of the room. There was a safe on it.
The tall and thin man opened the safe and took out the painting.
The painting was about five feet long. It was very old and badly damaged. Many places were fuzzy and needed to be repainted.
Hermione stared at the painting and looked at it carefully. The painting was gloomy and colorful.
On it were towering peaks, which were magnificent, undulating and winding. The mountains were dense with trees. There were several thatched huts in the depths of the valley. A hermit was sitting by the bed with his knees crossed in a hut.
Hermione recognized that this was "A Hermit" by Chandler Smith, one of the four famous artists during the 13th century.
Chandler's most expensive painting was sold for a sky-high price of 68 million dollars.
If this painting was repaired, it could be sold for several million dollars. No wonder these two people would take the risk and bring Hermione here.
They didn't send it to the shop, but let her come to repair it. It indicated that they had gotten the painting illegally. It was either stolen or dug out from the ancient tomb.
The thin and tall man asked, "Ms. Sullivan, how long will it take to fix this painting?"
"The painting is bigger and badly damaged. There are many places that need repair. It will take at least half a month."
"OK. What tools and materials do you need? Write them down and we will get them for you."
Hermione picked up a pen, wrote the materials on a piece of paper, and handed it to him.
The tall and thin man took it and said, "We're going to buy them. You can have a rest now."
Hermione nodded.
The two men went out and locked the door from the outside.
Hermione looked around.
This room had a bathroom, a bed, a table, a chair, and food. Obviously, they had prepared these long ago.
Outside the window were mountains. This place was desolate and unfamiliar, and there were scattered lights. It should be far away from the city.
Hermione was hungry. She picked up a pack of instant noodles. She opened it and took a few bites. Then she drank some water. After washing up, Hermione went to bed.
The surroundings were strangely quiet, but she could not sleep.
Hermione thought, will Bryson be worried when he finds that I'm missing?
Maybe not.
Vivian is his only concern now. Maybe he is still with her in the hospital.
Hermione thought about how Bryson rushed to the hospital with anxiety after Vivian attempted suicide. Hermione felt like her heart was stuffed with stones. It hurt badly.
She tossed and turned until midnight and did not feel sleepy.
Hermione got up and went to the bathroom. Suddenly, she heard faint movements outside.
She pressed her ear against the door and heard the tall and thin man saying, "What are you doing?"
The bald man lowered his voice and answered, "I can't sleep, so I came over to check on the woman. There's nothing special about her. Can she repair our painting? The painting is worth several million dollars. If she ruins the painting, the boss will blame us."
"Our boss has asked someone. Her grandfather is Wayne Sullivan, the Magic Hand. He has taught her since she was a child. It's said that the paintings that he repaired in the later stage of his career were mostly done by this woman.
"OK. I can trust her now." The bald man smiled and said, "She is so pretty. Dude, don't you have any other thoughts?"
The tall and thin man scolded, "Suppress your desire. Repairing the paintings is more important. When the painting is sold and you get the money, you can get as many women as you want."
The bald man said, "A woman I can get with money would have been with many men before. They can't compare to this one. I will do it after the woman finishes fixing the painting. OK? She is too pretty and tender. And her big eyes are watery. They make me itch."
The thin and tall man was silent for a moment. Then he said, "OK. But before the painting is fixed, you must not touch her."
The bald man answered, "Got it."
Hermione was disgusted.
She thought, I knew they are scum!
As Hermione listened to the two men walk away, she pulled the door handle. The door was locked, and there was no suitable tool to pry it open.
Hermione walked to the window and looked down. She was on the third floor, and the ground below was cement. It was unrealistic to jump out of the window and escape.
Moreover, there was a big dog in the yard. Once Hermione ran, the dog would bark.
She could only hope for help from outside.
On the way here, when the tall and thin man let Hermione call her family, she told her mother to take the antidiabetic drug on time. Hermione was reminding her mother that she was in danger. Her mother did not have diabetes.
Hermione wondered if she could take the hint.
The next day, Hermione began to clean and repair the painting.
Hermione worked for three days. As the repair came to an end, she began to feel nervous.
Hermione could not sleep well at night. And she heard the footsteps of the bald man wandering outside her door at night several times.
One day, Hermione was a little sleepy in the latter half of the night. Suddenly, she heard the dog barking outside. There were also hurried footsteps.
Hermione got up and began to put on her clothes.
The door was pushed open with a creak. The tall and thin man rushed in. He grabbed Hermione's wrist and walked out. The bald man went to collect the painting.
Just as they reached the door, a group of people rushed upstairs.
The man in the lead was dressed in black. He was tall, handsome, and had deep eyes. It was Bryson. Behind him were a group of well-equipped police officers.
Hermione was so surprised that she could not believe her eyes. She stared at the man and asked in a trembling voice, "Is it really you, Bryson?"
"It's me." Bryson stepped forward. The tall and thin man immediately pulled Hermione to the window.
Before Hermione could react, a knife suddenly appeared on her neck.
The thin and tall man held the knife against her neck and shouted at the police, "Put down your guns! Move back! Otherwise, I will kill her!"
The man scratched her neck. Hermione was in so much pain that her ears were ringing.
Bryson clenched his fists and stared at Hermione with red eyes. He suppressed his anger and said, "Put down the guns! All of you, get out!"
The police officers exchanged glances with him. They bent down to put the guns on the ground before getting out.
The bald man raised his foot and kicked the guns into a corner.
The tall and thin man pushed Hermione to the sill. "Jump!"
Hermione grabbed the window frame with both hands. She did not dare to jump. This was the third floor. Even if she wouldn't die, she would be crippled!
"Jump! You won't die!" The tall and thin man lost his patience. He grabbed Hermione's arm and jumped down.
In the blink of an eye, someone fired. A scream instantly resounded through the night sky!
- Writer
