Chapter 8 - The Hostage
The deafening roar of the helicopter blades drowned out all other sound in the alleyway.
The blinding spotlight pinned us against the brick wall like insects under a microscope.
I knew the police were likely controlled by either the cartel or the corrupt agency.
Surrendering meant handing the boys back to the monsters who created them.
I grabbed Elena and Dante, pulling them toward the open doors of the armored van.
I yelled over the noise, ordering them to get the boys inside and drive away as fast as possible.
Elena argued, refusing to leave me behind to face a SWAT team alone.
I shoved her into the van, telling her that the children were the only thing that mattered now.
I slammed the heavy doors shut and slapped the side of the vehicle, signaling Dante to go.
The van’s tires screeched against the pavement as it tore out of the alleyway, disappearing into the city.
I turned back to face the blinding spotlight, raising my hands slowly in the air.
I expected a barrage of bullets, or at least a team of heavily armed officers to swarm the alley.
Instead, a single black SUV pulled up silently to the end of the street.
The back door opened, and a woman stepped out, flanked by two massive bodyguards.
She was dressed impeccably in a dark designer suit, her silver hair pulled back into a tight bun.
I recognized her instantly; she was Senator Evelyn Reed, one of the most powerful politicians in the state.
She walked toward me with cold, calculated precision, completely ignoring the helicopter above.
She told me that my little stunt in the subway had caused quite a mess for her associates.
I demanded to know if she was working with the cartel or the rogue intelligence agency.
She laughed, a dry, humorless sound, and explained that she controlled them both.
She revealed that the cloning project was a government-funded initiative, designed to create perfect, compliant soldiers.
Sofia had realized the horrific truth and tried to sabotage the program from the inside.
Senator Reed looked at me with chilling indifference.
She told me she didn't care about the clones anymore; they were a failed experiment.
She wanted the original genetic material that Victor Silva had stolen from my vault.
She offered me a deal: I retrieve the material from Victor, and she would let me and the boys live.
If I refused, she promised to hunt them down and dissect them for research.
I had no choice but to agree to her monstrous terms.
She handed me a secure phone and a dossier on Victor's current location.
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As I took the file, she smiled a terrifying, predatory smile.
She told me I had exactly twenty-four hours to deliver the package, or she would activate the kill switch Sofia had implanted in the boys' hearts.
