Chapter 5 - Blood Ties
I shoved Lily behind my legs to shield her body from the weapon.
"Have you completely lost your mind, Jim?" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
The few tourists remaining in the dining room screamed and scattered toward the exits.
"I have absolutely no choice," Jim cried, his hands trembling violently.
"They took Bruce, and they promised to kill him if I don't bring them the bag."
"You dragged your own five-year-old niece into a cartel dispute?" I screamed at him.
Jim lowered the gun slightly, thick tears streaming down his face.
"I didn't mean for any of this nightmare to happen," he sobbed openly.
"I was drowning in sports gambling debt and Bruce offered me a way out."
"He hacked into their offshore corporate accounts and funneled the cash into a dummy corporation."
The terrifying realization hit me like a physical blow to the stomach.
Bruce truly was the mastermind behind the entire multi-million dollar theft.
"Where is the money right now?" Jim begged, stepping closer to me.
"I went up to the room to check the vent, but the bag was already gone."
I stared at my brother in utter confusion and disbelief.
"I left it right where I found it," I told him honestly.
Jim's face went completely pale, draining of all remaining color.
"If you didn't take it, and I didn't take it, then who did?" he asked into the silence.
Suddenly, the large glass windows of the resort dining room shattered inward.
Deafening gunfire echoed through the luxurious tropical lobby.
I tackled Lily to the floor as bullets tore through the wooden tables above us.
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Through the thick gray smoke, three men wearing tactical gear stepped into the room.
And walking right behind them, holding the black duffel bag, was Bruce.
