Chapter 7 - The Brother's Choice
I completely froze, entirely unable to comprehend why Jason was driving the syndicate's assault vehicle.
Jason looked absolutely terrified, his hands trembling violently as he aimed the heavy pistol directly at me.
The Russian mob boss sitting in the passenger seat yelled aggressively for Jason to shoot me and grab the bag.
My father, bleeding from a deep graze on his shoulder, screamed at Jason to follow the brutal orders immediately.
"Do it, Jason!" my father roared, wiping blood from his face. "Or they will kill all of us today!"
Jason looked at my father, then slowly shifted his gaze to the heavy trauma bag containing my sleeping babies.
I saw a massive, chaotic war completely raging behind my brother's terrified, tear-filled eyes.
I remembered how I used to fiercely protect him from our father's violent, drunken outbursts when we were just kids.
"You don't have to do this, Jason," I pleaded softly, my voice completely steady despite the absolute chaos.
"You are absolutely not a murderer, and you know it."
The Russian boss cursed loudly in his native language and aggressively raised his own weapon to shoot me himself.
Jason suddenly let out a deafening, primal scream and violently turned his pistol away from me.
He fired three rapid shots directly into the Russian boss's leg, completely shattering the man's kneecap.
The mobster collapsed inside the SUV, screaming in pure agony and dropping his heavy automatic weapon.
My father stared at Jason in absolute, paralyzed shock, entirely unable to believe his cowardly son had just rebelled.
Vance used the massive distraction perfectly, aggressively stepping out from cover and systematically taking down the remaining syndicate guards.
The parking garage instantly turned into a chaotic, bloody warzone as heavy gunfire echoed deafeningly off the concrete walls.
Jason dove completely behind a parked car, wildly returning fire to help Vance suppress the heavily armed mobsters.
I desperately used the small keys to finally unlock the heavy metal chains securely binding Daniel's bleeding wrists.
Daniel gasped in pain but immediately grabbed a dropped weapon from the floor to furiously protect his family.
"I am so sorry I couldn't protect you," Daniel whispered, tears streaming freely down his bruised, battered face.
I kissed his bloody forehead and firmly told him that we were going to survive this nightmare together.
The heavy gunfire finally began to slow down as Vance and Jason successfully neutralized the immediate syndicate threats.
I breathed a massive sigh of relief, genuinely believing the terrifying ordeal was finally reaching its end.
Suddenly, I felt the cold, incredibly sharp edge of a surgical scalpel press aggressively against my throat.
My mother stepped out from the dark shadows behind me, holding me entirely hostage with a manic, desperate strength.
May you like
"I am completely done living in poverty, Maya," my mother whispered coldly directly into my ear.
"Hand over the damn bag, or I will slice your throat and take the child myself."
