Chapter 3 - The Sniper's Choice
The red dot danced slightly between Ryan's eyes as he dragged me closer to the window.
My father had positioned a tactical sniper on the roof of the adjacent building before he even knocked on our door.
"Let her go, Ryan," my father warned, his voice steady and cold.
"You have exactly three seconds before your head disappears."
Ryan laughed nervously, his grip tightening around my neck as the glass pressed deeper.
"You're bluffing," Ryan spat, dragging me onto the rusted iron fire escape.
The cold Chicago wind whipped through my thin nightgown, making my bruised body shiver violently.
The three gunmen in the living room realized they were outmatched and slowly began backing toward the front door.
Before they could escape, my father's military police officers tackled them to the floor and handcuffed them.
Linda watched in horror as her perfect web of lies completely unraveled before her eyes.
Out on the fire escape, I could feel my baby kicking frantically against my ribs.
I looked down into the dark alley below and realized we were five stories up.
"Ryan, please," I begged, tears streaming down my face.
"I'll give you the trust fund money, just don't hurt the baby."
Ryan sneered and looked down at my pregnant belly with utter disgust.
"I don't care about the baby, Emily," he whispered cruelly.
"I only kept you alive this long because the trust fund doesn't unlock until the child is born."
Those words broke whatever remaining love I had left for the man I married.
Suddenly, Ryan slipped on a patch of wet metal on the fire escape stairs.
His grip loosened for a fraction of a second, and my father screamed the command into his radio.
"Take the shot!" my father commanded.
The glass window shattered as a high-caliber bullet ripped through the air.
Ryan screamed and dropped the piece of glass, his shoulder exploding in a mist of red.
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He stumbled backward, losing his balance completely.
As he fell, his hand reached out and desperately grabbed the collar of my nightgown, pulling me over the railing with him.
