Chapter 5 - The Locked Cage
The cold, concrete walls of the holding cell felt like a permanent tomb closing in around Arthur as he paced relentlessly back and forth across the sticky floor.
Every agonizing second that ticked by on the rusted wall clock meant another precious moment that his innocent son was left completely unprotected in the clutches of those monsters.
He had loudly demanded his one guaranteed phone call over fifty times, but the sneering guards merely laughed and told him the phones were conveniently out of order for the night.
The terrifying reality of his incredibly dire situation was finally setting in; Marcus had completely bought the entire local precinct with Elena's promised millions.
Arthur abruptly stopped pacing and punched the solid concrete wall with his bare knuckles, welcoming the sharp flash of physical pain to distract him from his overwhelming mental anguish.
Suddenly, the heavy steel door at the far end of the gloomy cell block groaned loudly as it was pushed open by a young, incredibly nervous-looking rookie police officer.
The young officer cautiously checked over his shoulder to ensure nobody was watching before rapidly walking down the quiet corridor and stopping directly in front of Arthur's bars.
"Mr. Vance, my name is Officer Davies, and I am not entirely on the corrupt payroll like the rest of these absolute bastards," the young man whispered urgently through the thick iron bars.
Arthur stepped closer to the heavy door, his highly suspicious eyes carefully scanning the young man's sweating face for any obvious signs of a trap.
"If you are actually here to help me, then let me out of this cage right now so I can go save my little boy," Arthur demanded in a low, dangerous growl.
Officer Davies shook his head rapidly, his hands trembling slightly as he nervously adjusted the heavy utility belt secured around his waist.
"I can't open the main locks without triggering a massive precinct-wide alarm, but I can give you this," the rookie whispered, slipping a cheap, plastic burner phone quietly through the rusted bars.
Arthur caught the small device instantly, feeling a sudden, massive surge of hope flooding through his exhausted and battered body.
"Who exactly is waiting on the other end of this secret line?" Arthur asked cautiously, hiding the small phone expertly in the palm of his bruised hand.
Officer Davies offered a small, reassuring smile before taking a quick step back toward the dimly lit hallway.
"Someone who cares about your family just as fiercely as you do, Mr. Vance," the young officer replied softly before turning around and quickly marching back out of the quiet cell block.
Arthur immediately retreated to the darkest corner of his small cell, frantically turning on the cheap device and dialing the only pre-programmed number stored in its limited memory.
The secret line rang exactly once before a familiar, breathless voice answered with a tone of overwhelming relief and desperate urgency.
"Mr. Vance, thank God you are finally answering, I was completely terrified that they had already killed you in there," Maria whispered rapidly through the crackling speaker.
Arthur leaned his tired head against the freezing concrete wall, profoundly grateful that the incredibly brave nanny was still actively fighting for his family's survival.
"Maria, where are you right now, and more importantly, where in the hell is my son?" Arthur demanded urgently, keeping his deep voice as low as physically possible.
"I managed to sneak completely off the property when the corrupt police were distracted, but Elena forcefully packed Leo into her vehicle and drove away thirty minutes ago," Maria reported breathlessly.
Arthur felt his stomach drop completely into his shoes, imagining his terrified little boy trapped in a speeding car with a woman entirely capable of absolute murder.
"Did you happen to see which direction that evil witch took him?" Arthur asked desperately, his mind racing to formulate an impossible rescue plan from inside a locked cage.
"She is currently heading directly toward the private executive airfield on the edge of the city, and I am secretly following her in a stolen catering van," Maria confessed bravely.
Arthur was completely stunned by the quiet nanny's incredible bravery, risking her own freedom and life to stalk a group of highly dangerous, armed criminals.
"Maria, you have to listen to me very carefully, do not actively engage them under any circumstances because Marcus will definitely have heavily armed guards waiting at the runway," Arthur warned strictly.
"I just need to find a way to quietly steal the forged legal documents from her vehicle before she Boards the private jet, because without those papers, they cannot access the main funds," Maria argued stubbornly.
Before Arthur could strongly object to her highly dangerous plan, he heard the terrifying, unmistakable sound of shattering glass echoing loudly through the phone's small speaker.
May you like
"Maria! Talk to me right now, what is happening over there?" Arthur yelled frantically into the tiny plastic device, completely forgetting to keep his voice down.
"I broke into her parked car at the terminal, but the documents aren't here," Maria gasped in pure horror. "Arthur... there is a blinking explosive device taped directly under the steering wheel, and the timer just hit zero!"
