Chapter 9 - The Ultimate Trap
I stared at Marcus in complete and utter disbelief, my mind struggling to process the betrayal.
"Marcus, what are you doing?" Ryan asked, his voice echoing calmly across the empty shipyard.
The security chief laughed bitterly, keeping his gun aimed directly at Daniel's trembling head.
"The Sterlings offered me ten million dollars and a seat on their new board, boss."
"I am sorry, but loyalty doesn't exactly pay for private islands."
Marcus gestured aggressively toward me with his free hand, demanding the envelope.
"Slide the deed across the concrete, little girl, or your ex-boyfriend loses his brain."
I looked at Ryan, completely terrified that we had walked straight into an unwinnable situation.
But to my absolute shock, Ryan was actually smiling.
"Did you honestly think I didn't know you were the mole, Marcus?" Ryan asked smoothly.
Ryan slowly pulled his hand out of his jacket, revealing a small, black electronic detonator.
"I knew you leaked the pregnancy rumor, and I knew you gave the sniper our coordinates at the gala."
He pressed the red button on the remote without a single second of hesitation.
A massive, blinding flashbang grenade suddenly exploded directly above the shipping container.
The intense light and deafening noise temporarily blinded everyone in the immediate area.
Ryan lunged forward, tackling Marcus to the concrete and kicking the weapon far away into the darkness.
I ran to Daniel, pulling a small pocket knife from my jacket to violently slash the thick ropes binding him.
"Thank you, Ellie, you saved my life," Daniel gasped, scrambling desperately to his feet.
But instead of running away, Daniel violently shoved me backward onto the hard ground.
He snatched the heavy envelope containing the deed right out of my hands.
"I always knew you were entirely too weak to make the hard choices!" Daniel sneered greedily.
Suddenly, a fleet of luxury black cars sped into the shipyard, blocking all the exits.
Daniel's new girlfriend, Victoria Sterling, stepped out of the lead car holding a perfectly manicured hand out to Daniel.
"Excellent work, Daniel," Victoria smiled maliciously, taking the envelope from him.
She turned to face Ryan, who was now standing completely still, surrounded by her armed guards.
"The diner is finally ours, which means the casino project is legally approved."
Victoria held up a secondary legal document with a victorious, cruel smirk on her face.
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"And because your stock value completely crashed during this kidnapping scandal, we just bought a controlling interest in your company."
"You lose everything tonight, Ryan Blackwood."
