Chapter 8 - The Betrayal
I froze in the dark tunnel, clutching Leo so tightly to my chest that my arms ached.
The terrifying silence that followed Jackson's scream was worse than the sound of the approaching footsteps.
I quickly turned off my cell phone flashlight, plunging us into absolute, suffocating darkness.
I backed slowly into a shallow alcove carved into the concrete wall, pressing my body flat against the cold stone.
"Mom, I am scared," Leo whimpered, his small fingers digging painfully into my collarbone.
"Shh, not a single sound," I breathed directly into his ear, covering his mouth gently with my hand.
Two bright beams of tactical flashlights swept down the tunnel, cutting through the damp darkness.
The mercenaries walked slowly, their suppressed rifles raised and ready to fire at the slightest movement.
They passed right by our hidden alcove, completely missing us in the deep shadows.
I let out a slow, silent breath of relief, thinking the worst was temporarily over.
Then, one of the mercenaries tapped his radio and spoke in a low, gravelly voice.
"Boss, we found the older kid hiding behind a drainage pipe."
The radio crackled back with my father's unmistakable, cold voice.
"Did he tell you where my daughter went?" my father asked through the static.
"No, sir," the mercenary replied, kicking something heavy in the water.
"The kid is refusing to speak."
"Put him on the radio," my father ordered ruthlessly.
I heard the sound of a heavy fist striking flesh, followed by Jackson's pained whimper.
"Grandpa, please," Jackson cried out into the mercenary's radio.
"Tell me where your Aunt went, Jackson, or these men will leave you in that sewer forever," my father threatened.
Jackson hesitated, sobbing loudly into the dark tunnel.
I prayed to God that my nephew would finally show some bravery and keep his mouth shut.
"She is hiding in the fifth alcove on the right side of the main junction," Jackson surrendered immediately.
My blood instantly turned to ice.
Jackson had sold us out to save his own life.
The mercenaries instantly spun around, their flashlight beams snapping directly onto my face.
I was completely blinded by the brilliant white light.
"Package located," the mercenary grunted, raising his rifle directly at my head.
I had absolutely nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no weapons left to fight back.
Just as the mercenary placed his finger heavily on the trigger, a massive explosion rocked the tunnel.
The concrete wall behind the mercenaries violently blew inward in a shower of fire and shrapnel.
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The blast knocked the armed men straight off their feet and threw them into the filthy water.
A team of men wearing heavy tactical armor and FBI windbreakers stormed through the fresh hole in the wall.
