Chapter 9 - The Deadly Exchange
Absolute panic clawed at my throat as I stared at the empty baby carrier strapped to Ashley's chest.
She pulled a small, glass vial filled with a glowing blue liquid from her purse and held it precariously between her manicured fingers.
She demanded I use my phone to physically authorize the final release of the funds right now, or she would drop the antidote on the floor.
My hands shook violently as I logged into the banking portal, the agonizing thought of my son dying pushing me to the brink of insanity.
I typed in the final authorization code, confirming the massive fifty-million-dollar transfer into her offshore accounts.
The banking app flashed a bright green checkmark, signaling that the transaction was fully and irreversibly complete.
I screamed at her to give me the vial immediately so I could save my innocent child.
Ashley threw her head back and laughed, tossing the glass vial carelessly over her shoulder where it shattered into a hundred pieces on the hardwood floor.
She turned and sprinted out of the coatroom, rushing toward the private elevator that led to her waiting rooftop helicopter.
I dropped to my knees amidst the shattered glass, weeping uncontrollably as the blue liquid soaked uselessly into the expensive carpet.
Julian suddenly groaned from the floor, spitting blood from his mouth as he pushed himself up against the wall.
He looked at me, a fiercely loyal and triumphant grin spreading across his bruised face.
He reached into his heavy tactical jacket and pulled out a completely intact, identical glass vial filled with the blue antidote.
He explained that he had managed to pickpocket the real antidote from her purse during the struggle at the motel, leaving her with a vial of blue food coloring.
My heart soared with immense relief, but the distant, mechanical whine of the helicopter starting up on the roof reminded me the nightmare wasn't over.
May you like
I looked down at Michael, who was taking his final, ragged breaths on the blood-soaked floor of the coatroom.
He looked up at me, smiled a bloody, vindictive smile, and whispered that he had secretly wired Ashley's helicopter with C4 explosives before the gala.
