I never mentioned to my son-in-law that I had once been one of the toughest drill instructors in the Marines. He made my pregnant daughter scrub the floor while he lounged nearby playing video games. “Miss one spot and you don’t eat,” he sneered. I finally walked over and pulled the plug. He jumped up, shouting, “You crazy old fool!” Seconds later, I had him pinned against the wall. I stared him down and said, “Listen carefully, maggot. Boot camp begins now.”

I left the hotel and drove slowly through the dark, rain-slicked streets of the city.

Derek had no money, no car, and no real friends left to rely on.

I tried to put myself in the mind of a panicked, selfish coward.

He would not run to a bus station because he lacked the cash for a ticket out of state.

He would hide somewhere familiar, somewhere he felt a false sense of control.

I turned the steering wheel sharply, heading toward the suburban strip mall near his house.

There was a twenty-four-hour internet cafe tucked between a dry cleaner and a closed diner.

I parked out of sight and walked quietly through the glowing neon entrance.

Derek was huddled at a computer terminal in the far back corner, frantically checking his bank accounts.

I stepped behind his chair, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and slammed his face into the keyboard.

He yelped in pain, instinctively throwing his hands up to protect himself.

"Get up," I ordered, lifting him entirely out of the chair by his collar.

"She was my wife, I had to give them something!" he sobbed, crying in front of a dozen bewildered gamers.

I dragged him out of the cafe and shoved him hard against the side of my truck.

"You traded the mother of your child to a butcher," I growled, pinning him tightly against the metal door.

"They are going to kill me," he whimpered, sliding down toward the wet pavement.

"They are going to kill Sarah if you do not get in this truck right now," I told him.

I explained Thorne's ransom demand as I unlocked the passenger door.

Derek shook his head violently, refusing to climb inside the vehicle.

"I am not going to the shipyards, it is a suicide mission," he cried.

I pulled my combat knife, pressing the flat side of the blade against his cheek.

"You have two choices, recruit," I whispered menacingly.

"You can die right here in this parking lot, or you can find whatever tiny shred of manhood you have left and help me."

Derek swallowed hard, staring into my eyes and realizing I was absolutely not bluffing.

He slowly climbed into the passenger seat, his entire body shaking with dread.

I put the truck in gear and sped toward the industrial edge of the city.

As we approached the rusted gates of the naval shipyards, Derek reached under his seat and pulled out a heavy black pistol.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

"I kept this hidden in the garage," he confessed softly.

He chambered a round, but as he looked at me, the barrel of the gun slowly turned to point directly at my chest.

Chapter 6 - The Ransom