Chapter 7 - The Getaway
Brandon stumbled out of the private elevator and into the lavish marble lobby.
He expected to find the police, the FBI, or whoever had made that terrifying phone call.
Instead, the massive lobby was completely deserted.
Even the overnight doorman, who was usually a fixture at the front desk, was nowhere to be seen.
The silence was deafening, broken only by the howling Manhattan wind against the glass doors.
Brandon slowly pushed through the heavy revolving doors, stepping out into the freezing morning air.
He clutched his thin suit jacket, scanning the empty street for any sign of a trap.
A sleek, black town car suddenly tore around the corner, its tires screeching on the cold pavement.
It slammed to a halt directly in front of him, the rear door flying open aggressively.
A heavy, gloved hand reached out from the darkness and violently dragged Brandon into the backseat.
The car immediately sped off before Brandon could even yell for help.
He scrambled upright, pressing himself against the far door, absolutely terrified.
He stared at the man sitting next to him, expecting to see a corporate assassin or a federal agent.
Instead, he saw a man he hadn't seen in over five years.
It was Marcus, Emily’s estranged older brother.
Marcus had always hated Brandon, warning Emily not to marry the slick corporate executive.
Marcus was a former military contractor who specialized in private security extractions.
Brandon stammered, demanding to know what was going on and where they were taking him.
Marcus didn't say a single word.
He simply reached into his thick jacket and pulled out a suppressed pistol.
He rested the cold weapon casually on his knee, staring at Brandon with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Brandon realized Emily had enlisted her brother's lethal expertise to execute her escape plan.
He begged Marcus to listen, claiming that Sloan Whitmore was going to kill them all for the money.
Marcus finally spoke, his voice completely devoid of any emotion.
He calmly stated that he didn't care about the stolen corporate money or the corrupt company.
He cared that Brandon had left his sister alone to die during childbirth while he drank scotch.
Marcus reached into his pocket and tossed a thick manila envelope onto Brandon’s lap.
He told Brandon that inside were fake passports, untraceable cash, and a one-way ticket to South America.
Marcus explained that Emily wanted Brandon to disappear completely and never contact them again.
If Brandon took the deal, he would live out his days in hiding, running from Sloan's hitmen.
If he refused, Marcus promised to shoot him right there in the backseat and dump him in the river.
Brandon frantically tore open the envelope, realizing this was his only chance to survive the nightmare.
He pulled out the passport and stared at the fake name printed on the page.
But as he looked closer at the documents, he realized the flight wasn't to South America at all.
The ticket was a confirmed reservation on a private charter plane heading straight back to Phoenix.
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And the passenger name on the ticket wasn't Brandon's fake alias.
It was Sloan Whitmore's real name.
