Chapter 10 - The Last Trick
The corrupt police captain drew his service weapon and aimed it directly at Mark's chest.
The surrounding commuters screamed in terror and scattered wildly in every direction.
Mark stared at the digital billboard, his mind racing faster than it ever had in his entire life.
Arthur's finger hovered menacingly over the red detonator button on the screen.
"You forgot one critical detail about me, Father," Mark shouted toward the massive screen.
"I built the software that runs your entire corrupt empire."
Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out his own cracked, water-damaged smartphone.
He tapped a single icon on the screen, initiating a total system override he had coded years ago.
On the billboard, Arthur's private jet suddenly lost all interior cabin power.
The old man panicked, frantically pressing the red detonator button over and over again.
Nothing happened.
Mark had remotely jammed the detonator's frequency using the transit hub's massive communication towers.
Elena did not wait for the corrupt police captain to process what had just occurred.
She grabbed a heavy metal trash can and swung it brutally into the captain's knees.
The corrupt officer collapsed in agony, dropping his weapon onto the marble floor.
Real federal agents, alerted by the transit hub's security, flooded the terminal and quickly arrested the remaining corrupt guards.
Mark hugged Billy so tightly he thought his heart might actually burst from his chest.
Elena wrapped her arms around both of them, crying tears of pure, overwhelming joy.
Later that evening, the FBI confirmed that Arthur's plane had been grounded and both he and Victoria were in federal custody.
The nightmare was finally over, and they could begin to rebuild their lives in total peace.
They returned to Elena's cozy apartment, ate pizza on the floor, and watched cartoons until Billy fell fast asleep.
Mark carried his son to bed, tucked him in securely, and kissed his forehead with absolute love.
He walked back into the living room and pulled Elena into a deep, passionate kiss.
They had won, and they were finally safe to be a real family.
The next morning, Elena walked down to the lobby to check her small metal mailbox.
She smiled as she pulled out a stack of regular, boring bills and supermarket coupons.
At the very bottom of the stack was a black envelope sealed with dark red wax.
May you like
She opened it, pulling out a single photograph of herself holding Billy at the park yesterday.
Written on the back in fresh blood were the words, "You have exactly what belongs to me."
