Chapter 8 - The Ransom Protocol
The silence in the penthouse was absolutely deafening after the mercenaries dragged my father away.
I refused to collapse onto the floor and play the helpless victim again.
I ran to my father's desk and pulled up the secret GPS tracking program linked to his encrypted smartwatch.
A small red dot was blinking rapidly on the digital map, moving toward the abandoned industrial district on the edge of the city.
They were taking him to the old Sterling Global shipping warehouse.
I immediately dialed Marcus, the head of our private corporate security team.
"Marcus, Garrett just abducted my father," I said, my voice cold and focused.
"Meet me at the old shipping yards with every armed man you have."
I grabbed a heavy tactical flashlight and a trauma kit from my emergency medical bag before rushing to my car.
I arrived at the abandoned warehouse under the cover of utter darkness, the rain masking the sound of my footsteps.
Marcus and his elite tactical team were already waiting silently in the shadows near the loading dock.
"They have him tied to a chair in the center of the main floor," Marcus whispered, handing me a bulletproof vest.
"Garrett is demanding a full transfer of all international funds before he lets him go."
I strapped the heavy vest over my chest, my ER training keeping my heart rate remarkably steady under extreme pressure.
"We breach on my mark, and we take Garrett down," I ordered firmly.
We crept quietly through the rusted side door, moving seamlessly through the maze of towering wooden crates.
I could see my father in the distance, bruised but fiercely defiant, refusing to sign the glowing tablet in front of him.
Garrett was pacing nervously, waving a silver pistol around with reckless abandon.
"Do it now, Marcus," I whispered, preparing to rush forward to save my father.
But Marcus did not move forward to attack the mercenaries.
Instead, I felt the cold, hard barrel of a gun press firmly against the back of my head.
"I am so sorry, Claire," Marcus said, his voice completely devoid of regret.
May you like
"But Garrett offered me ten million dollars to look the other way tonight."
The head of our security had completely betrayed us.
