Chapter 7 - The Hostage Exchange
Dominic stared at the flashing red tablet, his face twisting into a mask of pure rage.
Without the money, the Navarro Cartel would instantly abandon him and likely skin him alive.
"You think this makes you untouchable?" Dominic roared over the blaring sirens.
Before Adrian could answer, two of Dominic's heavily armed mercenaries dragged Rosa into the dining room.
They forced the struggling woman to her knees, but they did not have Lily.
"Where is the child?" Dominic screamed at his guards.
"She wasn't in the basement, boss," one of the mercenaries stammered.
Rosa looked up at Adrian, her face bruised but her eyes burning with fierce defiance.
"She is safely hidden where your pathetic thugs will never find her," Rosa spat at Dominic.
Dominic struck Rosa across the face with the heavy barrel of his gun.
Adrian lunged across the table, but Navarro intercepted him, throwing Adrian violently into the wall.
"Bring the woman to the shipping yards," Dominic ordered his men, wiping spit from his chin.
Dominic walked over to Adrian, who was struggling to breathe against the crushed plaster.
"You have exactly one hour to bring the biometric keys to Pier 9, or I will burn this woman alive," Dominic threatened.
The mercenaries dragged Rosa out the front door, leaving Adrian alone in the ruined dining room.
Adrian pushed himself off the floor, his mind incredibly clear and focused for the first time in years.
He walked to the hidden panel behind the fireplace and retrieved his tactical gear.
Luca arrived three minutes later with a heavily armed strike team.
"They took Rosa to Pier 9," Adrian told his loyal captain, loading a fresh magazine into his rifle.
Luca hesitated, looking at his boss with deep concern.
"Boss, Pier 9 is rigged with military-grade explosives," Luca warned.
"If we assault it, Dominic will blow the entire block into the ocean."
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Adrian racked the slide of his rifle, his eyes entirely black and devoid of mercy.
"Then we better kill him before he finds the detonator."
