Chapter 27 - The Ransom of Blood
Before Hannah could initiate the assault on the Sterling high-rise, the encrypted radio on the workbench violently crackled to life.
A cold, incredibly sterile voice echoed through the garage, demanding to speak with Hannah immediately.
It was Agent Vance, the corrupt leader of the rogue FBI faction Eleanor had hired to raid the Hamptons estate.
Hannah grabbed the radio, her voice completely devoid of any emotion as she demanded to know where Dominic was.
Vance laughed dryly, the sound sending a sickening wave of dread completely through Hannah’s chest.
He stated that Dominic had fought like a demon, taking down half of his elite squad before finally running out of ammunition.
They currently had him securely chained to a reinforced chair in the sub-basement of the Sterling corporate tower.
Vance coldly informed Hannah that Eleanor did not want a messy, public shootout in the middle of Manhattan.
She was offering a completely non-negotiable ultimatum to end the war quietly.
Hannah had exactly two hours to bring the triplets to the underground parking garage of the tower and surrender them entirely.
If she complied, they would let Dominic walk away with his life, and Hannah would be given a new identity in Europe.
If she refused, or tried to bring an army to the exchange, they would broadcast Dominic’s slow, agonizing execution on a live, encrypted feed.
Hannah stared at the radio, the immense weight of the impossible choice practically crushing the breath out of her lungs.
She walked into the back office, looking down at the three innocent, sleeping faces of the children she loved more than life itself.
To save the man who had sacrificed everything to protect them, she would have to hand her daughters over to a cruel, vindictive woman.
Silvio stepped into the doorway, quietly asking her what the final call was going to be.
Hannah gently brushed a stray curl from Emma’s forehead, a single tear escaping her eye and splashing onto the blanket.
She turned to Silvio, her expression hardening into a mask of pure, unadulterated vengeance.
She told him that they were going to agree to the meeting and bring exactly what Eleanor asked for.
But they were not going to surrender the girls; they were going to use the exchange as a Trojan horse.
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Hannah ordered Silvio to prepare the heavily armored medical van they had stolen during the Moretti war.
She was going to look Eleanor Sterling in the eyes and make her deeply regret ever threatening her family.
