Chapter 8 - The Hostage
Nathan coughed violently as the toxic smoke burned his eyes and throat with agonizing intensity.
He grabbed Lily and pushed her into the small bathroom, sealing the door tightly with a wet towel to block the gas.
He heard the terrifying sound of heavy combat boots surrounding the exterior of the wooden cabin.
Victoria's elite mercenaries had completely encircled the property, cutting off every single avenue of escape.
Nathan knew he was far too weak from his gunshot wound to fight off a dozen heavily armed killers.
His burner phone suddenly vibrated aggressively in his pocket, illuminating the smoky darkness.
He answered the call, hearing Victoria's cold, sadistic laughter echoing through the speaker.
"You put up a brilliant fight, Nathan, but the game is officially over," Victoria gloated maliciously.
She offered him one final, desperate ultimatum to end the violent standoff.
If Nathan walked out of the cabin and surrendered the original server drive, she would let Grace and Lily live.
"If you refuse, my men will simply shoot the propane tank outside and burn you all to ashes," she threatened smoothly.
Nathan looked at Grace, his heart breaking as he realized he had to sacrifice himself to save the people he loved.
"Don't do it, Nathan," Grace begged, tears streaming rapidly down her soot-covered face.
Nathan pulled her close, kissing her deeply while whispering that he would always love her unconditionally.
He grabbed the server drive, took a deep breath, and walked out the front door with his hands raised high.
The mercenaries immediately rushed forward, violently tackling Nathan to the dirt and securing his wrists with heavy zip-ties.
Victoria stepped out of a black armored SUV, snatching the silver drive directly from his bleeding hands.
"You gave me your word that they would walk away safely," Nathan demanded, struggling fiercely against his captors.
Victoria smiled wickedly, her eyes filled with absolute, pure evil.
"I lied," she whispered coldly.
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She turned to her heavily armed commander and gave a simple, ruthless nod.
"Lock the cabin doors and burn the entire building to the ground."
