Chapter 5 - The Hostage
My blood ran completely cold as Marcus's words echoed in my ear.
"If you touch her, I will end you," I growled into the phone, ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder.
Marcus just chuckled softly, a sound that made my stomach churn with violent sickness.
"I don't want to hurt her, Daniel, I just want the deed to your house and the kids' trust funds."
He told me I had exactly one hour to meet him at the abandoned lumber yard on the edge of town.
If I called the police or failed to show up, he promised I would never see Claire again.
The line went dead, leaving me standing behind the delivery truck with a terrified doctor.
"I have to go to the police station to confess," Dr. Evans stammered, looking at my bleeding arm.
"Go," I told him, tossing him my car keys. "Tell them everything, but do not mention where I am going."
I watched him speed away in my car before I took off running toward the commercial district.
I stole a rusty bicycle from outside a convenience store and pedaled furiously toward the lumber yard.
The sun was beginning to set, casting long, dark shadows over the decaying industrial buildings.
I ditched the bike near the perimeter fence and squeezed through a gap in the rusted chain link.
The massive warehouse was completely silent, except for the sound of water dripping from the leaky roof.
I crept inside, using the enormous stacks of rotting timber as cover.
In the center of the warehouse, a single work light illuminated a small, dusty clearing.
Claire was tied to a wooden chair, her mouth gagged with a piece of dirty cloth.
Marcus was pacing back and forth in front of her, holding a heavy silver revolver in his right hand.
I picked up a heavy iron pipe from the ground, calculating the distance between us.
I stepped out of the shadows, making my presence known to the man who ruined my family.
"Let her go, Marcus," I demanded, keeping the iron pipe raised defensively.
Marcus smiled and aimed the revolver directly at Claire's head.
"Where are the signed transfer documents, Daniel?" he asked, completely ignoring my command.
"They are in my pocket, but you have to release her first," I lied, stepping slowly forward.
Marcus shook his head and pulled the hammer back on the revolver with a sharp click.
"I am not an idiot, Daniel, toss the papers on the ground or she dies right now."
Before I could figure out my next move, a loud gunshot rang out from the catwalk above us.
Marcus screamed in agony and dropped his revolver, clutching his bleeding right leg.
I looked up into the shadows of the catwalk, completely stunned by the unexpected gunfire.
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Vanessa stepped out into the light, holding a smoking hunting rifle perfectly aimed at Marcus's chest.
"I told you not to get greedy, Marcus," Vanessa yelled down into the clearing.
