Chapter 4 - The Ultimatum
Vincent’s heart stopped.
His gun remained perfectly steady, aimed at the space between Silas’s eyes.
“If you push that button, you die before the signal reaches the explosives,” Vincent said in a deadly whisper.
Silas did not blink.
“If I die, my finger slips, and the button depresses anyway.”
“A dead man's switch, Vincent.”
“You always did struggle with the technical details.”
Vincent calculated the distance.
Thirty feet.
Too far to close the gap before Silas could react.
“What do you want, Silas?”
“I want what your father promised me before you stole the throne.”
“I want the docks, the shipping lanes, and the union contracts.”
Vincent stared at him with pure hatred.
“You took a civilian woman and targeted a five-year-old child for territory?”
Silas shrugged his shoulders in a custom Italian suit.
“I learned a long time ago that you don't care about your own life, Vincent.”
“You are a ghost in a nice suit.”
“But your cousin Rachel is a weak link.”
Vincent’s grip tightened on the gun.
“Rachel.”
“Yes,” Silas smirked.
“I offered Rachel a choice.”
“Give me a vulnerability to exploit, or I gut her husband.”
“She set up the blind date to put you in an unprotected location.”
A wave of betrayal washed over Vincent, cold and sickening.
His own blood had sold him out.
“Sign the transfer papers tomorrow morning, Vincent.”
“Or I blow the penthouse, and I send you Claire Bennett in pieces.”
Silas took a step backward toward the revolving glass doors.
“Don't follow me.”
Silas walked backward out of the building and disappeared into the rainy night.
Vincent lowered his gun, his chest heaving with contained rage.
He pulled his phone and dialed Marcus, who was locked in the penthouse with Emma.
“Marcus, do not move,” Vincent ordered the moment the line connected.
“The room is rigged.”
“I’m bringing the bomb squad.”
“Actually, boss,” a different voice answered over the phone.
It wasn't Marcus.
It was Thomas, Vincent’s enforcer.
May you like
“Marcus is dead on the floor, Vincent,” Thomas said coldly.
“And I have the little girl.”
