Chapter 8 - The Hostage Exchange
The horrifying truth settled over me like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
The video on the tablet had been pre-recorded, a sick illusion designed to force me into giving up the password.
"Where are they?" I screamed at the speaker, my voice cracking with absolute desperation.
"They are currently flying over the Atlantic in my private jet," Marcus's voice echoed through the empty room.
"And they will be thrown out of the cargo door in exactly one hour if this decryption password doesn't work."
I looked at Annie, who had completely collapsed against the cold concrete wall in tears.
I realized I had to use the one absolute advantage I had over a man like Marcus.
He was a creature of incredible greed, and I controlled the only thing he truly cared about.
I pulled out my burner phone and quickly typed a series of complex alphanumeric codes into a hidden application.
"Listen to me very carefully, Marcus," I said calmly toward the mounted speaker.
"The password I gave you was fake, designed to permanently lock the drive after one failed attempt."
A tense, heavy silence filled the speaker for several agonizing seconds.
"You are bluffing," Marcus finally replied, though the absolute confidence in his voice was noticeably gone.
"Try it," I challenged him coldly.
"But when the drive wipes itself, I will simultaneously press this button and transfer the entire corporate treasury to a charity in Geneva."
"You will be a billionaire with no money, running from the FBI for the rest of your miserable life."
I heard the sound of a keyboard clacking loudly through the radio transmission.
Then, a string of violent curses erupted from the speaker as Marcus realized I was telling the exact truth.
"What do you want, Arthur?" he growled.
"I want the jet to turn around and land at the private airstrip ten miles from here."
"You bring my boys to the tarmac, and I will hand you the master encryption key in person."
Marcus agreed, his voice dripping with pure venom and murderous intent.
We had exactly thirty minutes to reach the airstrip before the exchange.
I led Annie out through a drainage tunnel, emerging into the cold, rainy night.
We hotwired an abandoned maintenance truck and sped toward the private airfield.
May you like
As we pulled onto the dark runway, a massive helicopter descended from the sky, its spotlight blinding us instantly.
The side door of the chopper slid open, revealing Marcus holding a gun directly to Justin's tiny head.
