Chapter 9 - The Tarmac
Emily's terrified, tear-streaked face on the glowing laptop screen completely shattered my heart into a million jagged pieces.
"Mommy, please help me!" Emily cried out over the deafening roar of the jet engines idling in the background.
"I'm here, baby, Mommy is right here," I sobbed desperately, pressing my trembling fingers against the cold glass of the screen.
Henry violently yanked her small arm, stepping backward toward the open door of a sleek, black private jet.
"You froze the accounts, Amy, which means Thorne just revoked my seat on this flight!" Henry screamed into the camera.
"Let her go, Henry, the police are already surrounding the airfield," I pleaded, trying to keep my voice steady.
"If I go to prison, I'm going alone, but I'm making sure you suffer for ruining my life!" Henry spat maliciously.
Through the grainy video feed, I suddenly saw the massive shadow of a helicopter descending rapidly from the dark sky.
Richard Vance's private medevac chopper touched down violently on the tarmac, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris.
Henry spun around in panic, aiming his silver handgun blindly into the swirling vortex of wind and dirt.
Chloe and three heavily armored tactical officers leaped from the chopper before the landing skids even fully touched the ground.
"Drop the weapon, Henry, or we will authorize lethal force!" Chloe's voice boomed through a powerful megaphone.
Henry grabbed Emily, holding her small body in front of his chest like a human shield.
"Don't shoot, he has my daughter!" I screamed at the laptop, entirely forgetting that Chloe couldn't hear me through the screen.
Richard Vance stepped out of the helicopter next, his suit jacket discarded and his bloody shoulder hastily wrapped in white bandages.
He didn't hold a weapon; instead, he held a sleek black briefcase high in the air for Henry to see.
"There is exactly two million dollars in untraceable bearer bonds in this case, Henry!" Richard yelled over the wind.
Henry hesitated, his greedy eyes immediately locking onto the leather briefcase that represented his only chance at freedom.
"Throw it over here, Vance, and kick it across the tarmac!" Henry demanded, loosening his tight grip on Emily's shoulder.
"Let the girl walk over to me first, and the money is yours," Richard negotiated calmly, taking a slow step forward.
Henry looked nervously at the tactical officers, then back at the briefcase, his greed ultimately overpowering his limited common sense.
He shoved Emily forward, and my brave little girl stumbled but quickly sprinted across the tarmac toward Richard.
As soon as Emily was safely behind Richard's legs, Henry lunged greedily forward to snatch the briefcase from the ground.
He popped the latches open, expecting to see stacks of crisp, million-dollar bonds.
Instead, a blinding flash of white light erupted from the case, followed instantly by a deafening, disorienting bang.
"Flashbang!" Chloe yelled as she and the tactical officers instantly swarmed the temporarily blinded and deafened Henry.
They slammed him brutally onto the hard concrete, ripping the silver handgun from his fingers and locking him in heavy steel handcuffs.
"Mommy!" Emily screamed happily as Richard carefully picked her up and carried her toward the safety of the helicopter.
Through the laptop screen, I watched Henry being dragged away in chains, his face bloodied and his reign of terror finally over.
I collapsed back against my hospital pillows, crying the most beautiful, relieving tears of my entire life.
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But as the police hauled Henry toward a cruiser, he looked directly into one of the security cameras and smiled a bloody, terrifying grin.
"Tell Amy she forgot to check the basement," Henry mouthed silently to the camera before disappearing into the back of the police car.
