Chapter 6 - The Ransom Protocol
The voice on the phone gave them exactly three hours to deliver the genetic files to an abandoned warehouse.
Rachel immediately called Dr. Evans at the clinic and forced him to hand over the physical documents.
She threatened to expose his entire medical license to the media if he refused to cooperate.
Grant drove them silently toward the industrial district, the heavy gun resting openly on his lap.
"I absolutely never thought I would be risking my life with you again," Rachel noted quietly.
Grant kept his eyes fixed firmly on the dark road ahead.
"Maddie might not be my biological daughter, but she is still family, and nobody touches my family," Grant replied fiercely.
They arrived at the massive, rust-covered warehouse just as a heavy rainstorm began to pour.
Rachel clutched the waterproof folder tightly against her chest and stepped out into the freezing rain.
The warehouse was completely dark inside, smelling strongly of old motor oil and decaying metal.
A single spotlight clicked on suddenly, illuminating a tall man standing in the center of the concrete floor.
It was not Dr. Vale, and it was certainly not one of his brutal security guards.
The man looked to be in his late twenties, with striking facial features that looked incredibly familiar.
"You brought the files, just as I requested," the mysterious man said, stepping into the light.
Rachel realized with a sudden shock that the man shared the exact same gray eyes as Maddie.
"Who exactly are you, and where is my daughter?" Rachel demanded angrily.
The man smiled warmly and raised his hands to show he was completely unarmed.
"My name is Julian, and I am one of Maddie's twenty older half-siblings," he introduced himself calmly.
Rachel stepped back in confusion, glancing nervously at Grant in the shadows.
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"I did not kidnap your daughter, Rachel," Julian explained in a soft, reassuring voice.
"I intercepted Dr. Vale's communications, and I brought you here because I need your help to rescue her from his estate."
