Chapter 7 - Behind Bars
The cold concrete of the holding cell felt like ice against my skin as I sat on the metal bench, utterly defeated.
I had tried to explain everything to the detectives, but Donald's forged paperwork was flawless, and my story sounded insane.
Every minute I spent in this cell was another minute Donald had to disappear with Keaton forever.
A guard approached the bars, tapping his baton against the metal before unlocking the heavy door.
"Your lawyer is here," the guard grunted, leading me into a small, windowless interrogation room.
Vance was sitting at the table, his face unreadable as he slid a small cup of water toward me.
Before he could speak, the door opened again, and Donald walked in, reeking of expensive cologne and arrogance.
"I asked for a moment alone with my wife, to see if we can settle this without a trial," Donald said smoothly, dismissing the guard.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Donald dropped the loving husband act and leaned across the table.
"You really thought you could outsmart my mother and me?" he whispered, his eyes filled with pure malice.
"We used your money to build an empire, and now I'm going to take the only thing you have left."
I let him talk, letting him brag about how Big Mike beat my father, and how they starved Keaton to keep my parents compliant.
I didn't react because under the table, Vance had secretly passed me a small, digital recording device disguised as a pen.
I was capturing every single horrific admission on tape, building an undeniable case against him.
"You're a monster, Donald, and you're going to rot in prison," I finally said, glaring at him with pure hatred.
Donald chuckled, slowly reaching into his tailored jacket pocket.
He pulled out a small, black rectangular device with a glowing green light and placed it on the table.
"It's a military-grade signal jammer, Alisha," he sneered, pointing at the pen in my hand.
"It scrambled your little recording the second I walked in here, so all you have is dead air."
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He stood up, buttoning his suit jacket with a final, mocking smile.
"I'm taking Keaton to a private airstrip right now, and by the time you make bail, we'll be in a country without extradition."
