Chapter 3 - The Ticking Clock
The blinking red light on the detonator paralyzed me completely.
I stared down at the man I had trusted with my life, realizing he had transformed into a monster entirely devoid of humanity.
Marco explained that he had planted the bomb yesterday, knowing I would eventually track Elena down to this exact address.
The explosive was wired to a highly sensitive dead-man's switch synced directly to his pulse.
If I pulled the trigger and ended his life, the entire apartment building would be reduced to ashes in seconds.
I slowly lowered my weapon, stepping back and allowing Marco to stand up from the bloody floor.
He dusted off his ruined suit, smiling as he retrieved his dropped pistol from the carpet.
I looked into the apartment and saw Elena clutching our daughter, her face entirely devoid of hope.
I knew I had to get them out of this building immediately before Marco decided to change the rules of his sick game.
Marco told me to drop my gun, and I threw it onto the worn carpet without a single moment of hesitation.
He ordered the remaining conscious thug to tie my hands behind my back with heavy, industrial zip ties.
As the rough plastic bit painfully into my wrists, I calculated the distance between the window and the rusted fire escape.
Marco walked over to Elena, violently grabbing the pharmacy bag from the little girl's hands.
He casually tossed the expensive, life-saving medicine out the shattered window into the dark alley below.
Elena screamed, trying to lunge at him, but her sick lungs betrayed her and she collapsed helplessly to her knees.
The little girl rushed to her mother, her small hands frantically trying to wipe away Elena's terrified tears.
Marco pointed his gun directly at my daughter's head, demanding I transfer all my offshore accounts to his personal name.
He pulled a digital tablet from his jacket, holding it up to my face to force a biometric retina scan.
I closed my eyes tightly, refusing to give him the keys to the empire my family had built over decades.
Marco cocked the hammer of his pistol, giving me exactly three seconds to comply with his demands.
I opened my eyes, leaning forward to complete the retina scan and secure my family's temporary survival.
The tablet chimed happily, confirming the transfer of three hundred million dollars into Marco's possession.
He smiled, putting the tablet away and turning his weapon back toward my chest.
"Thank you for your generous donation, Boss," Marco mocked, placing his finger firmly on the trigger.
Suddenly, the little girl reached into her pocket and pulled out the old prepaid phone she had used to save my life.
She pressed a single button, and a deafening, high-pitched emergency siren frequency erupted from the device.
The sound was so incredibly painful that Marco dropped his gun and clamped his hands over his bleeding ears.
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I did not wait to figure out what was happening.
I threw my entire body weight forward, tackling Marco completely out the shattered third-story window.
