Chapter 8 - The Midnight Meeting
The company headquarters was completely dark when we parked in the back alley.
Jack used his old security keycard to silently open the loading dock doors.
We crept through the silent warehouse, navigating past pallets of inventory in the dark.
The faint sound of crying echoed from the second-floor boardroom.
We slowly climbed the metal staircase, staying hidden in the deep shadows.
Through the glass walls of the boardroom, I saw a scene out of a nightmare.
David was tied tightly to a leather desk chair, his face bruised and bleeding.
Four heavily armed men in black tactical gear stood in the corners of the room.
The cartel boss sat casually at the head of the long mahogany table.
He was tossing a heavy gold coin into the air and catching it.
"You promised me five million dollars today, David," the boss said in a smooth, calm voice.
"I transferred it, I swear the bank just froze the account!" David sobbed desperately.
"I do not care about your bank problems," the boss sighed softly.
He stood up and stepped into the dim light of the streetlamp shining through the window.
My breath caught in my throat.
The ruthless, terrifying cartel boss was the polite young gas station clerk who had lent me his phone that morning.
The entire encounter had been a calculated surveillance operation.
He had been tracking me the entire time.
"I am going to kill you, David, and then I am going to find your mother," the clerk said softly.
He pulled a heavy, silver revolver from his jacket and pressed it against David's forehead.
I could not let my son die, even after everything he had done to me.
I stepped out of the shadows and pushed the boardroom door open.
"That won't be necessary," I announced loudly.
Every gun in the room immediately pointed directly at my chest.
May you like
The clerk smiled broadly, lowering his weapon from David's head.
"Mrs. Vance, how nice of you to join us," the clerk laughed.
