Chapter 9 - The Father's Sacrifice
The brutal impact sent our car spinning wildly across the wet asphalt.
My head slammed hard against the passenger window, blurring my vision instantly.
Before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt, the doors were ripped open by armed men.
They dragged Hector and me out of the wrecked car and threw us onto the cold ground.
Richard Sterling stepped out of the massive armored truck, holding an umbrella to block the rain.
He walked over and picked up the tablet containing all of my decrypted thesis data.
He casually dropped it on the ground and crushed it under his heavy leather boot.
"You are both so incredibly annoying," Richard sighed, looking down at us with pure disgust.
"I gave you a chance to join my empire, Julian, but you chose to be a loser like your stepfather," he sneered.
Richard gestured to his heavily armed security chief.
"Execute them both and throw their bodies in the river," Richard ordered without a shred of emotion.
The security chief raised his weapon and aimed it directly at my head.
I closed my eyes, preparing for the inevitable end.
"Wait!" Hector shouted, his voice booming with unexpected authority.
Hector slowly stood up, brushing the dirt off his worn, bloody construction jacket.
He unzipped the jacket to reveal a heavy vest lined with thick blocks of military-grade explosives.
He held a small digital detonator tightly in his calloused right hand.
Richard's eyes went completely wide, and he took a terrified step backward.
"I spent twenty-five years working construction in this city, Richard," Hector said calmly.
"I helped build the foundation of your new corporate headquarters with my own two hands," he revealed.
Hector smiled a dark, victorious smile that I had never seen before.
"I planted enough explosives in the main pillars to bring your entire empire crashing down," Hector declared.
"If I release this button, your billion-dollar tower turns to dust," he threatened.
Richard's face turned completely pale, realizing his life's work was literally in Hector's hands.
"Tell your men to drop their weapons and walk away," Hector commanded fiercely.
Richard swallowed hard, trembling as he raised his hand to call off his guards.
But then, Richard suddenly began to laugh hysterically in the pouring rain.
He pulled his own cell phone from his pocket and pressed a button.
May you like
He turned the screen around to show us a live video feed from a dark basement.
My mother, Elena, was tied to a steel chair with a gun pointed directly at her head.
