Chapter 5 - The Deal
Elias Thorne stood completely motionless in the freezing rain, looking like a ghost in the dark night.
Daniel tightened his grip on the heavy steel wrench, fully prepared to fight to the absolute death.
He slowly pushed the heavy front doors of the clinic open and stepped out into the stormy parking lot.
He demanded to know how the crime boss had managed to track them to this forgotten building.
Elias smiled a cold, calculating smile and slowly closed his massive black umbrella.
He stated that Joe had always been a cowardly man who enthusiastically sold out anyone for the right price.
Elias calmly explained that Joe had just sold Daniel's exact location in exchange for a massive retirement fund.
Daniel felt a sickening wave of betrayal wash over him, completely confirming the truth of Sarah's photograph.
Elias took a slow step forward, completely unarmed and casually holding his hands open to show he meant no immediate harm.
He told Daniel that he did not actually come here to kill him or the wounded detective inside.
He revealed that the corrupt Mayor of the city was secretly planning to assassinate Elias and seize total control of the syndicate.
Elias needed the original, physical ledger to blackmail the Mayor and completely secure his own criminal empire.
He offered Daniel a very simple, highly dangerous compromise.
If Daniel handed over the original ledger, Elias would personally hand Joe over to Daniel for absolute revenge.
Daniel stared into the cold, dead eyes of the ruthless crime boss, realizing he was trapped in a terrible game of chess.
He knew he could not trust a single word that left Elias Thorne's lying, manipulative mouth.
But he also knew that fighting a dozen heavily armed men hiding in the limousine would guarantee Sarah's death.
Daniel slowly nodded, agreeing to the treacherous deal to buy them some precious time.
He told Elias that the ledger was securely buried under the floorboards of his ruined garage.
Elias smiled victoriously, ordering his men to drive them all back to the burned remnants of the repair shop.
He forced Daniel into the back of the luxurious limousine, leaving two armed guards behind to watch the unconscious Sarah.
The heavy vehicle glided smoothly through the wet city streets, the tension inside thick and suffocating.
They arrived at the smoldering, blackened ruins of Daniel's once-proud motorcycle shop.
Elias ordered his men to hold Daniel at gunpoint while the young mechanic pointed out the exact location.
Daniel walked into the center of the burned garage, completely surrounded by heavily armed mercenaries.
He pointed to a charred section of concrete near the destroyed hydraulic lift.
Elias eagerly stepped forward, completely distracted by the promise of ultimate power over the corrupt Mayor.
Daniel smirked darkly, knowing that he had never buried anything under the concrete floor in his entire life.
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He casually kicked a hidden, highly sensitive pressure plate connected to the garage's emergency lockdown system.
Massive steel blast doors violently slammed shut over every single exit, trapping Elias and his men inside the ruined building.
