Chapter 2 The rescue operation

It was nearly dawn when the bar finally shut down. Vincent was off duty and on his way home, drinking the beer straight out of the bottle. This was his daily routine. He never took public transportation or a cab home. He preferred to walk down the street drinking beer.

The memory of his past was still vivid in his mind which made him agitated. He got drunk to numb his pain, but alcohol wasn't enough to soothe him. However, he never stopped drinking, hoping that one day he would completely forget the past... his mate, Susan.

He took a turn. This side of the road was almost empty with less traffic. The wind was strong. The rumbling of thunder could be heard occasionally, signaling the impending rain. Vincent was not bothered at all. He strolled lazily, drinking beer.

“Help… Ugh…”

Someone’s whine rattled the empty quiet alley. However, that voice was muffled soon.

Vincent came to a halt on the track and took a glance around. His ears perked up in an attempt to pinpoint the source of the noise.

“Ugh…” He overheard a weak groan.

Vincent dashed to the source of the noise, where he discovered a group of men thrashing an elderly man in his late fifties. He then witnessed one of the attackers stabbing him.

Vincent’s eyes switched from black to hazel brown as he noticed the goon poise to stab again. He sprinted towards him at the speed of the wind and snatched the knife away.

The goons were all startled to see Vincent appeared from nowhere. They exchanged glances with each other and looked at Vincent with astonishment.

The drizzling started by then, and thunder roared, jolting them out of their stupor.

One of them grumbled, “Step back if you don’t want to die.”

Vincent knocked him down before they could blink.

“Ugh…” The man fell to the ground, blood dripping down his nose.

“Hey…” Another one punched Vincent, but he dodged and kicked him down.

They all attacked him together. Vincent was so nimble and swift that they couldn't even touch him. Nonetheless, all of them were beaten by him. Within a few minutes, they found themselves lying on the ground with broken limbs, wailing in pain.

Vincent gave them a harsh look and walked over to the elderly gentleman.

"Please save my daughter," the man implored, his bloodstained palm grasping Vincent’s hand. “The hooligans kidnapped her."

Vincent frowned as he locked his gaze on him. Then his eyes were drawn to the wound in his stomach. The blood was constantly flowing. If this man was not treated immediately, he would die.

After considering this, he said, “You are bleeding. Let me get you to a hospital first."

Vincent tried to pick him up, but the man repelled.

He stated, enduring the pain, “No… It will be too late to rescue her. Who knows what they will do to my daughter? You must save her. Please… I request you.”

“But…” Vincent frowned even harder, seemingly worried.

“Give me your phone.” The man stretched his hand towards him. “I will call for help. Will you now save my daughter, Olivia?”

Vincent sighed softly and handed him his phone. “In which way did they take her?” he inquired.

“In that direction,” the man said, pointing to the alley's opposite end.

Vincent followed his finger and glanced at the wounded henchmen. Although those goons were not in the position to get up and kill this old man, he still went to them and beat them up until they passed out.

It was only then that he bolted away speedily in search of Olivia. His wolf instinct was on alert as he raced around, searching for clues.

“No, leave me…” His aural sensation perceived a cry of a female from a distance.

He veered and rushed in that direction.

“Let go of me… Help…”

The cry sounded louder and clearer as he approached further. Soon he reached an old broken building surrounded by shrubs and hedges. He hurried into the building.

Vincent saw two men pressing down a petite young lady on the dirty floor and the other two laughing loudly while filming the scene on their cell phones.

“Get off me, you bastards,” Olivia continued yelling and squirming.

The sight of the two men attempting to rape her made Vincent's blood boil. Gaius was wailing within his head, ready to come out. But Vincent controlled him as he rushed to them.

Within a blink, the two men who were pressing down Olivia flew in the air like a weightless fallen leaf and fell to the ground a couple of feet away from him.

The other two men's jaws fell, and they stared at him in awe. Their phones were smashed on the floor and they were severely battered before they could figure out what was going on.

Olivia stared at Vincent with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. She'd never seen such an agile man in her life. He was also extremely attractive. His V-shaped body, his biceps...

“Wow...” was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

Olivia was so engrossed in admiring Vincent that she forgot she was about to be raped by those thugs.

As Vincent was fighting with the three men at a time, another man rushed to him from behind with a wooden plank in his hands. Olivia’s hair sprang on her back.

“Watch out…” She yelled in a frenzy as she rushed to the man and pushed him away.

The wooden plank slipped out of his grip instantly.

Vincent turned back to look, but he was a little late. The man had already shoved Olivia down.

Olivia fell to the ground and hit her head on an empty broken wooden barrel. She lost her consciousness soon.

Vincent’s nostrils flared as anger intensified within him. He beat everyone else. In the next moments, the henchmen groaned in pain, curling up on the floor.

Vincent panted while glancing at them. Then his gaze turned towards unconscious Olivia. He walked up to her and crouched down to pick her up.

Boom…

The gunfire shook the broken house.