My daughter was fifteen when she finally looked at me and whispered, “I stopped telling Dad when it hurts. He says I’m just doing it for attention.” The next afternoon, I signed her out of school and took her to the hospital without telling my husband.

I collapsed onto the living room rug, sobbing hysterically as the reality of my failure crushed my entire spirit.

Jax immediately pulled out his encrypted communication device, calling in a massive favor from his former intelligence contacts.

He gave them the exact serial number of the burner phone, demanding a real-time GPS triangulation of David's location.

"I am not going to let him take her, Elena," Jax promised firmly, helping me up from the floor.

"We are going to find this ghost, and we are going to bury him for good."

My cell phone vibrated violently in my pocket, displaying an encrypted text message from an unknown offshore number.

I opened the message, my eyes frantically scanning the terrifying ultimatum written on the screen.

David did not want me to drop the criminal charges against his brother.

Mark was already facing life in prison, and David clearly did not care about saving him anymore.

The message demanded that I legally transfer the two-million-dollar life insurance settlement into an untraceable cryptocurrency wallet.

He gave me exactly three hours to complete the massive wire transfer, or he promised I would never see my daughter again.

"He wants the money," I told Jax, my voice completely devoid of emotion as a cold, absolute rage took over my body.

"He is using Mark's failed assassination plot to steal the settlement money for himself."

Jax grabbed his tactical vest from the couch, loading three heavy spare magazines into his tactical belt.

"The bank requires your physical presence and a biometric signature to move that amount of money," Jax stated.

I nodded, grabbing my keys and my purse, refusing to shed another tear.

I was done being the terrified victim running from the shadows of my past.

We drove to the massive downtown banking tower, moving like silent phantoms through the rainy city streets.

I walked straight into the private executive banking suite, demanding an immediate audience with the branch manager.

I forced the manager to initiate the cryptocurrency transfer protocol, watching the agonizingly slow loading bar inch across the screen.

Just as the system required my final fingerprint scan to release the millions, Jax's encrypted radio beeped loudly.

"I have his location," Jax whispered urgently, staring at the GPS coordinates glowing on his digital map.

"He isn't moving, he is holding her in an abandoned industrial slaughterhouse on the very edge of the city."

I looked at the glowing fingerprint scanner on the bank manager's desk, and then I looked at the hardened mercenary standing beside me.

I ripped my hand away from the scanner, intentionally canceling the massive wire transfer completely.

The Clumsy Maid Bathed His Dog—Then The Mafia Boss Said She Wasn’t Leavi...

She found her husband with another woman and walked away so quietly that...

The Mafia Boss Asked a Disabled Widow If She Was Okay

"We are not paying him a single dime," I said coldly, turning toward the door.

"We are going to go get my daughter."

Chapter 14 - The Ransom Demand