Chapter 7 - The Extortion
The heavy wooden door cracked open, and Diane stood there looking completely shocked and furious.
"Have you lost your absolute mind, Claire?" she screamed, clutching her silk robe tightly around her.
I pushed my way into her luxurious foyer, completely ignoring her pathetic outrage.
"You are going to give me the remaining thirty thousand dollars right now," I demanded, stepping into her personal space.
Diane scoffed and crossed her arms defensively over her chest.
"I will not give you a single dime to help that worthless street kid," she spat venomously.
I pulled the USB drive from my jacket pocket and held it up right in front of her face.
"I have the security footage of you editing the photos and filing a false report with child services," I threatened.
Diane's smug expression instantly vanished, replaced by a sudden look of sheer, undeniable panic.
"If you don't write me a check right now, I will hand this directly to the FBI for federal kidnapping charges."
She knew I had her completely cornered, and she aggressively marched toward her home office.
She wrote a certified cashier's check for thirty thousand dollars with violently shaking hands.
"You are ruining this entire family over a child who isn't even yours," Diane hissed as she handed me the check.
"She is my daughter, and you will never be part of our family again," I replied coldly.
I snatched the check from her hand and sprinted back to my car as fast as I could.
My phone suddenly buzzed with a text message containing a GPS pin and a very specific set of instructions.
The location was an abandoned industrial warehouse on the darkest edge of the city limits.
I drove through the pouring rain, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it echoing in my ears.
I pulled into the desolate, muddy parking lot and grabbed the envelope of cash and the check.
The massive metal door of the warehouse was slightly open, completely dark inside except for a single flickering light.
I walked cautiously into the building, calling out Hannah's name into the terrifying, empty space.
A tall, heavily tattooed man stepped out from behind a rusted shipping container, holding Hannah tightly by the arm.
It was her biological father, and he looked incredibly dangerous and completely unpredictable.
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Hannah was crying silently, her small face completely pale with absolute terror as he pulled her forward.
"You actually brought the money," the man laughed, holding out a dirty, tattooed hand.
