Chapter 1048 Swap Places
Natalie knew that her plan was a little foolish, but it was an urgent situation, and there was nothing else she could think of. Hence, she had no choice but to steel herself and try it out.
Barnaby Lenock was holding a pregnant woman hostage when a young woman abruptly barged into his line of sight and requested to swap places with the pregnant woman.
“Strange words from you!” Barnaby tightened his grip on his knife. “What makes you think you can swap places with her?”
“Don’t you only want a hostage as a bargaining chip?” Natalie asked Barnaby. “A pregnant woman can’t move around easily. Also, look at her. She’s going to pass out before you can even kill her. Since all you want is a hostage, won’t I do as well?”
Every word Natalie uttered challenged Barnaby’s determination.
He had only wanted to hold a random woman hostage. Yet little did he expect to end up grabbing a pregnant woman instead.
Barnaby scanned Natalie from head to toe and asked dubiously, “You’re not a spy from the special forces, are you?”
“Which part of me looks like that?” Natalie chuckled. “Can you not make things more complicated than they actually are? I don’t have any weapons on me. I just don’t want to see two lives ending, so I’m volunteering to take her place.”
Just as Barnaby was hesitating, the sounds of steady footsteps came closer to them.
Barnaby’s ears perked up, and immediately he became alert.
Natalie knew that the people who had come to arrest him had arrived, so it was the best time for her to pressure him into letting her swap places with the pregnant woman.
It was an opportunity she could not let slip away.
“Time’s ticking. Why don’t you consider my suggestion?” Natalie asked, a sly smile growing on her lips.
When Barnaby saw her smiling despite the situation, he snapped his brows together.
Everyone around him had been frightened out of their wits the moment the shooting began, afraid that the chaos would affect them. Yet, the young woman in front of him had been calm the entire time. It was as if everything was within her control.
She had spoken with such confidence that made her seem as though she was in full control of the situation.
Seeing that the man was still hesitating, she pointed behind him and cried out, “Watch out! There’s someone behind you!”
Barnaby turned around. Spotting the look Natalie gave her, the pregnant woman took the chance to bite down hard on the man’s arm.
Barnaby did not see that coming. As he loosened his grip on the pregnant woman, the thought of murdering her formed in his head.
How dare you try to escape?
Just as Barnaby was about to slash his knife at the pregnant woman, Natalie walked over to him and offered him her neck.
Barnaby was shocked again. “You—”
“I told you I was going to be your hostage,” Natalie uttered coldly. “Let the pregnant woman go.”
Barnaby used to be a mercenary.
He had encountered many talented individuals on battlefields and the black market but had never thought that he would be stunned by the young woman’s demeanor. Nevertheless, he wanted to leave the place safely, so he had to have a hostage. Without hesitation, he pressed the knife against Natalie’s neck.
Meanwhile, the pregnant woman ran a little before soldiers caught and supported her.
The pregnant woman even cast a tearful look at Natalie after getting rescued.
Natalie gave the pregnant woman a reassuring smile.
As a mother, she could understand what the pregnant woman felt. Agreeing to the swap was not a selfish decision for the pregnant woman—she had to protect the baby in her.
The pregnant woman was soon led away by soldiers.
Barnaby, on the other hand, was retreating with Natalie as his hostage.
Natalie was very cooperative. She wanted to make sure that she got out of the situation alive.
She had already carried out the promise she made to the boy, so the imminent fight between the robber and the law enforcement officers was no longer any of her business. All she could do was ensure her own safety.
However, Natalie could not help but freeze when she saw the person leading the operation.
Jerome?
Similarly, when Jerome realized that the hostage was Natalie, he froze.
