Chapter 3 - The Hostage Situation
I froze completely, my eyes locked on the heavy, black pistol resting discreetly on the man’s lap.
He draped his dark jacket back over the weapon, obscuring it from anyone casually walking down the aisle.
"Do not make a single sound, or I will end both of you right here in economy," he muttered without moving his lips.
I instinctively wrapped my arm around Mason, pulling him tightly against my side.
Mason squirmed in protest, complaining that I was squeezing him too hard.
"Just cuddle with Mom for a bit, okay?" I choked out, my voice thick with absolute terror.
My mind raced through a thousand terrifying scenarios in a matter of seconds.
Tyler had not just cheated on me and stolen our life savings.
He was actively involved in hijacking his own commercial flight, and I had foolishly walked right into his trap.
I looked up toward the front of the plane, hoping to catch the eye of someone, anyone, who could help us.
Valerie, the woman Tyler had just proposed to, was slowly walking down the aisle toward the back restrooms.
As she got closer, I noticed she was not looking at the restroom signs at all.
Her cold, calculating eyes were locked directly on me.
She paused right next to my row, pretending to stretch her legs.
"Tyler told me you were painfully naive, but I never expected you to hand-deliver the boy to us," she whispered softly.
My protective instincts flared violently, overriding my paralyzing fear.
"If you touch my son, I will kill you," I hissed back, ignoring the man with the gun beside me.
Valerie simply let out a dark, quiet chuckle that made my skin crawl.
"Oh, honey, we do not want to hurt the boy," she smiled wickedly.
"Tyler just needed a believable insurance policy to ensure the military jets do not shoot us down when we cross the border."
She patted the top of my seat casually and continued walking toward the back of the aircraft.
I felt violently ill as the reality of her words washed over me.
Tyler was using his own flesh and blood as a human shield for whatever criminal enterprise this was.
The man next to me shifted slightly, reminding me of the lethal threat sitting mere inches away.
I needed to find a way to communicate with the outside world, but my phone battery was dangerously low.
I reached into my oversized purse to grab my portable charger, digging past snacks and crayons.
My fingers brushed against something hard and unfamiliar nestled at the very bottom of the bag.
I slowly pulled it out, trying to keep my movements hidden from the armed man beside me.
It was a thick, yellow envelope wrapped in heavy layers of clear packing tape.
May you like
I carefully peeled back a corner of the envelope with my thumbnail.
Dozens of brilliant, uncut diamonds spilled slightly into the dark interior of my purse, catching the dim cabin light.
