Chapter 9 - The Transfer
I stared at the cold, black barrel of the gun pressed against the side of Grace's head.
My wife squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trembling slightly but refusing to give Evelyn the satisfaction of crying out.
"Fine," I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion.
"I will sign whatever you want, just let them go."
Evelyn smiled triumphantly and signaled Vance to cut the thick plastic zip ties binding my wrists.
I rubbed my sore arms, flexing my fingers to restore the restricted blood flow.
I picked up the expensive fountain pen and pulled the thick stack of legal documents closer to the edge of the table.
While pretending to carefully read the dense legal jargon, I slid my left hand slowly toward my pants pocket.
Vance's security keycard was still hidden deeply inside the fabric, a small piece of heavy-duty plastic with an embedded metallic chip.
"Take your time, Ethan," Evelyn taunted softly. "We have the rest of the night to conclude our business."
I signed the first page with a messy, aggressive scrawl.
As I turned to the second page, I slipped the hard plastic keycard out of my pocket and jammed it forcefully into the exposed wiring of the electronic chair restraint mechanism beneath the table.
A sharp, electric spark briefly illuminated the dark underside of the desk, short-circuiting the magnetic locks holding Grace's chair to the floor.
I quickly finished signing the final page and pushed the heavy stack of paper back across the metal table.
"It is done," I stated coldly. "Now let my family leave."
Evelyn picked up the documents, carefully inspecting each signature to ensure it was completely legally binding.
She tucked the papers neatly into her designer briefcase and turned her back on me completely.
"You have always been so hopelessly naive, Ethan," she laughed sharply.
May you like
She looked over her shoulder and gave Vance a slow, deliberate nod.
"Kill the wife, and prepare the helicopter for my departure," Evelyn ordered without a shred of hesitation.
