My billionaire employer caught my three-year-old barefoot in his forbidden ballroom, holding his little boy’s hands and dancing to a recording no one was supposed to find. I thought Nathaniel Reed would fire me on the spot, until he saw the woman on the screen and whispered, “That’s my wife. Who taught your daughter her dance?”

The drive to the abandoned industrial shipyard was the longest hour of my entire life.

Nathaniel gripped the steering wheel of his black SUV so tightly his hands were completely white.

The metal lockbox sat between us on the center console like a ticking time bomb.

We had managed to pry it open with a screwdriver in the garage before we left.

Inside was a single USB drive containing thousands of bank records and recorded phone calls perfectly detailing Julian's treason.

"I am not going to let him hurt Sophia," Nathaniel promised me quietly.

"I will give him the company, the money, and everything he wants if he just lets them go," he added.

I nodded, wiping a continuous stream of hot tears from my face.

We pulled up to a massive rusted warehouse sitting right on the edge of the dark harbor.

The rain was pouring down in heavy sheets, matching the absolute despair in my heart.

We stepped out of the vehicle and walked into the cavernous, dimly lit building.

Julian was standing in the center of the room surrounded by empty shipping containers.

Sophia and Eli were sitting on a dirty mattress behind him, tied together with thick nylon ropes.

"Mommy!" Sophia cried out, struggling against her restraints.

I tried to run to her, but Julian immediately raised his gun and pointed it at my daughter's head.

"Stop right there, Clara, or I will end this right now," Julian shouted over the sound of the rain.

Nathaniel stepped in front of me, holding the lockbox out in the open.

"Let them go, Julian, you have won," Nathaniel said with a defeated tone.

Julian smirked and gestured for his brother to toss the box across the wet concrete floor.

Nathaniel threw the box, and it clattered loudly to a stop near Julian's feet.

Julian bent down, picked up the box, and verified that the small flash drive was inside.

"You always were too sentimental, brother," Julian laughed maliciously.

He tucked the box under his arm and raised his weapon to point it directly at Nathaniel's chest.

"Did you honestly think I would leave witnesses behind?" Julian asked with a wicked grin.

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Suddenly, a loud metallic click echoed from the dark catwalk high above us.

A bright red laser dot appeared directly in the center of Julian's forehead.

Chapter 6 - The Shipyard