Chapter 7 - The Ransom
Time completely stopped as the cold steel pressed against my daughter's delicate skin.
Chloe's eyes were wide and frantic like a cornered, rabid animal.
She screamed at Victor to drop his weapon or she would end Sophia's life right there.
Victor froze, his finger hovering dangerously over the trigger of his rifle.
He slowly lowered the barrel toward the floor to prevent escalating the deadly situation.
Chloe revealed that Elena's syndicate had paid her a fortune to act as their inside informant.
She was desperate to escape the building before the federal agents swept the lower floors.
Elena laughed wickedly and praised Chloe for her excellent timing.
She ordered Chloe to drag Sophia toward the rooftop access stairs where a helicopter was waiting.
I fell to my knees and begged Chloe to take me as a hostage instead of my innocent child.
Chloe sneered and said a billionaire's daughter was a much more valuable shield.
Sophia cried out for me, her tiny hands clutching her homemade paper necklace.
Every maternal instinct in my body screamed at me to rush forward and tear Chloe apart.
But I knew any sudden movement would result in a fatal mistake.
Victor caught my eye in the dim red emergency lighting.
He gave me a microscopic, almost imperceptible nod.
It was the silent signal we used as children when we were about to break the rules.
I slowly raised my hands in surrender and took a deliberate step backward.
I deliberately bumped my heel against the shattered glass of the dropped champagne flute.
The sharp crunching sound made the armed waiter flinch and look down for a split second.
In that exact momentary distraction, Victor raised his rifle with blinding speed.
He did not aim at Chloe or the waiter.
Victor fired a single suppressed shot directly into the heavy glass window overlooking the city.
The reinforced glass instantly shattered, creating a massive vacuum that sucked the air out of the hallway.
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The sudden violent wind knocked Chloe entirely off balance.
Before she could recover, a dark figure repelled down from the roof and kicked her violently in the chest.
