Chapter 10 - The Wrong Partner
Victoria stared at the gun.
“What are you doing?”
Marcus checked the magazine.
“You said no weapons.”
“You said a lot of things too.”
Maya began crying harder.
Victoria pulled her close.
Marcus pointed toward the chair. “Sit down.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be.”
Richard watched from the security room, his breathing shallow.
Officer Brooks spoke quietly into her radio. “Suspect armed. Child hostage. Female accomplice may be unstable or turning.”
Richard hated hearing Victoria described as an accomplice.
Not because it was false.
Because it made the nightmare real.
On the phone, Marcus said, “Three minutes, Richard.”
Richard opened the merger document.
“I’m signing.”
Daniel looked at him sharply.
Richard muted the phone. “Can we send him a fake confirmation?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes.”
“Do it.”
They created a duplicate receipt page while police moved through the woods.
Richard unmuted.
“It’s done.”
Marcus checked his phone.
A second later, he smiled.
“Good.”
“Now give me my daughter.”
Marcus looked toward the window.
“You’ll get instructions.”
“No. I want to hear Maya.”
“You hear her crying.”
“I want to hear her voice.”
A pause.
Then Victoria took the phone.
“Maya, say something to Daddy.”
The child sobbed.
“Daddy come.”
Richard nearly broke.
“I’m coming, baby.”
Marcus ripped the phone away.
“No, you’re not.”
Then the live feed shook.
Victoria had shoved him.
“You promised you’d let her go!”
Marcus stumbled into the table.
The gun fell.
Victoria grabbed Maya and ran toward the back door.
Marcus caught her by the dress and yanked her backward.
She screamed.
Richard moved toward the exit.
Brooks blocked him. “Stay here.”
“No.”
“Richard—”
“That cottage has a storm cellar exit on the east side. Your team is approaching from the front and west.”
Brooks stared at him.
“Show me.”
He pulled up the property blueprint.
There it was.
An old underground passage leading to a maintenance trench forty yards east.
Brooks grabbed her radio.
At the cottage, Marcus dragged Victoria away from the door.
Maya slipped from Victoria’s arms and crawled behind a sofa.
May you like
Marcus raised the gun.
Then the camera feed went black.
