Chapter 8 - The Hostage Exchange
The line went completely dead, leaving me standing in the silent study with absolute terror in my veins.
Ryan immediately noticed the sheer panic written across my pale face.
"Who was that on the phone, Ellie?" he demanded, stepping closer to me.
I swallowed hard, knowing I was explicitly warned not to tell him anything.
But I was entirely done keeping secrets in a world built entirely on dangerous lies.
"The Sterlings kidnapped Daniel, and they want to trade his life for the deed to my diner," I confessed.
Ryan’s jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might actually shatter.
"You are not going anywhere near that shipyard, it is a guaranteed death trap," he ordered sternly.
"He is a terrible person, Ryan, but I will not let a man die because of my property," I argued fiercely.
I walked toward the door, my mind completely made up despite the overwhelming fear.
Ryan quickly grabbed my arm, spinning me around to face him with desperate intensity.
"I cannot lose you, Ellie," he whispered, his dark eyes searching my soul.
Before I could respond, he leaned down and kissed me with a fierce, burning passion.
It wasn't a fake kiss for the cameras; it was real, desperate, and entirely intoxicating.
"If we are doing this, we do it my way," he breathed against my lips.
Fifty minutes later, Ryan’s heavily armored SUV pulled into the dark, foggy shipyard.
I clutched the heavy envelope containing the diner's original deed tightly to my chest.
Ryan stepped out of the vehicle first, his hand resting casually inside his jacket near a hidden weapon.
We walked slowly toward a massive, rusted shipping container illuminated by a single spotlight.
Daniel was tied securely to a wooden chair, his face bruised and bleeding in the harsh light.
"Give me the envelope, Ellie, and you can take out the trash," a deep voice echoed from the shadows.
A tall man stepped into the light, holding a heavy pistol pointed directly at Daniel's head.
My heart completely stopped in my chest, absolutely refusing to believe my own eyes.
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It wasn't one of the ruthless Sterling brothers holding the gun.
It was Marcus, Ryan’s intensely loyal and trusted head of security.
