Chapter 5 - The Desperate Ransom
The heavy brick shattered the glass, sending sharp shards flying across the living room.
Rowan shielded Aurora and Ivy, throwing his body over them until the danger passed.
He cautiously looked up and saw a piece of white paper tied to the brick with a thick rubber band.
He untied the note, his hands shaking as he read the jagged, frantic handwriting.
The note demanded that Rowan bring one million dollars in unmarked bills to the old abandoned shipyard by dawn.
If he contacted the police, the kidnappers promised that he would never see Nova or Selene alive again.
Rowan stared at the paper, completely bewildered by the impossible demand.
Selene had orchestrated a fake crime scene, but now she was apparently a real hostage.
Aurora read the note over his shoulder and began to cry hysterically.
She explained that the dangerous man Selene hired was actually a ruthless loan shark named Marcus.
Selene had secretly owed Marcus a massive gambling debt for years, using Rowan’s money to pay the interest.
When Rowan cut her off, Marcus realized he was never going to get his principal payment back.
Marcus had decided to kidnap Selene and Nova, using them as leverage to extort the wealthy brother.
Rowan realized he was trapped in a deadly game with a desperate, violent criminal.
He could not ignore the ransom, because innocent little Nova was caught in the crossfire.
Ivy begged him to call the FBI, insisting that they were not equipped to deal with a cartel enforcer.
Rowan knew that involving federal agents would guarantee Selene and Nova’s immediate execution.
He opened his laptop and inserted the silver flash drive, uploading the unedited video directly to his lawyer.
He instructed Ivy to take Aurora to the police station at dawn to clear their names and rescue Elara.
Ivy kissed him passionately, begging him to return home safely to their family.
Rowan grabbed his keys and drove to his corporate office in the dead of night.
He emptied the emergency cash reserves from the company safes, filling a large duffel bag with bundled currency.
It was not a million dollars, but it was enough to buy him a few crucial minutes of negotiation.
He drove toward the desolate, decaying industrial sector on the edge of the city.
The shipyard was a graveyard of rusted metal and rotting wooden docks.
Rowan parked his truck and walked into the darkness, carrying the heavy bag of cash.
He entered a massive, echoing warehouse that smelled intensely of seawater and motor oil.
A single spotlight snapped on, blinding him temporarily in the vast darkness.
Marcus stepped into the light, holding a heavy shotgun casually over his shoulder.
He smiled a wicked, jagged smile and ordered Rowan to toss the bag forward.
Rowan demanded to see his sister and his niece before he surrendered the money.
Marcus chuckled darkly and snapped his fingers.
Two massive men stepped out of the shadows, dragging a terrified Nova by her arms.
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Rowan felt his blood run cold when he realized someone crucial was completely missing from the scene.
Selene was nowhere to be found.
