Chương 7 - The Hostage Exchange
Meline stopped typing instantly, her hands hovering frozen above the keyboard.
She stared in absolute horror at the live feed of her mother sitting terrified in the clinic chair.
David looked bruised and bloody, clearly having been beaten before the camera was turned on.
"Cancel the download, Meline, and step away from the terminal," Preston’s voice commanded through the intercom.
Meline’s mind raced through every tactical scenario, but there was no way to save them from a locked room miles away.
With a trembling hand, she reached out and pulled the decryption drive from the terminal.
The download failed, and the screen flashed back to a locked corporate logo.
"Good girl," Preston taunted smoothly.
"Now slide the drive under the door, and my security team will escort you to the basement."
"If you hurt my mother, I will spend the rest of my life hunting you down," Meline promised, her voice laced with pure venom.
"You won't have a rest of your life," Preston replied casually.
The heavy steel door unlocked with a loud click, and two massive guards stepped into the server room.
They roughly grabbed Meline by her arms, confiscating the flash drive and her hidden combat knife.
They dragged her out of the server room and forced her onto a private executive elevator.
Meline did not struggle, calculating the distance to their holstered weapons and waiting for a single moment of distraction.
The elevator descended rapidly into the subterranean parking garage beneath the skyscraper.
The doors opened, revealing Preston Caldwell standing beside a black armored SUV.
Gideon Hayes stood quietly slightly behind his boss, looking pale and deeply uncomfortable.
Preston snatched the drive from the guard and placed it into his custom suit pocket.
"You really thought a waitress could take down my empire?" Preston asked, stepping close enough for Meline to smell his expensive cologne.
"I am not a waitress," Meline stated coldly, looking him directly in the eye.
"I know exactly who you are, former Agent Ross," Preston whispered, smiling darkly.
"And Tariq Al-Fayed sends his warmest regards."
Preston nodded to the guards, silently ordering them to execute her right there on the concrete.
One of the guards drew his weapon and aimed it at the back of Meline’s head.
Suddenly, a loud gunshot echoed aggressively through the underground garage.
The guard holding the gun collapsed to the floor, grasping a shattered kneecap.
Meline dropped to the ground instantly, expecting a sniper ambush from Tariq’s men.
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Instead, she watched in utter shock as Gideon Hayes raised a smoking pistol and pointed it directly at Preston’s chest.
"Give her the drive, Preston," Gideon demanded, his hands shaking slightly as he held the gun steady.
