Chapter 5 - The Unstoppable Force
The guard collapsed to the concrete floor in a heap of heavy tactical gear.
Ethan Vance stood behind the fallen man, breathing heavily, holding the dented fire extinguisher.
He had managed to dislocate his own thumb to slip out of the zip-ties in the basement.
Lupita gasped in shock but quickly pushed Lily into her father's waiting arms.
Ethan held his daughter tightly, kissing the top of her head as she buried her face in his neck.
He looked up at Lupita, his eyes filled with immense gratitude.
He thanked her for risking everything to protect a child she didn't even know.
Lupita nodded quickly, telling him that the entire building was swarming with corrupt guards searching for them.
She warned Ethan that Marcus had bribed a local social worker to take Lily away tonight.
Ethan's protective instincts flared into a burning, unstoppable rage.
He told Lupita to take Lily to the laundry room on the second floor and lock the steel doors from the inside.
Lupita hesitated, afraid of what Ethan was planning to do by himself.
Ethan simply promised her that this nightmare was going to end tonight.
He handed Lily back to the brave housekeeper, promising his daughter he would be right back.
Ethan then picked up the unconscious guard's two-way radio and clipped it to his belt.
He needed to find Marcus and end this hostile siege before the corrupt police arrived.
Ethan moved silently through the service corridors, using his intimate knowledge of the building's blueprints.
He knew every hidden passageway because he had personally designed this hotel.
He reached the catwalk overlooking the grand ballroom, where the corporate gala was still in full swing.
Looking down, he saw Marcus standing on the stage, holding a microphone.
Marcus was giving a charismatic speech to the hotel's wealthiest investors and board members.
He was currently pitching a motion to remove the mysterious majority shareholder of the company.
Ethan suddenly realized this wasn't just about Marcus covering up his embezzlement.
This entire gala was a carefully orchestrated corporate coup to steal Ethan's company.
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Ethan gripped the steel railing of the catwalk, his knuckles turning white.
Suddenly, the cold barrel of a gun was pressed firmly against the back of his neck.
