Chapter 5 - The Desperate Bargain
Gretchen froze as the cold steel of the weapon pointed directly at her chest.
She shielded Maxine entirely with her own body, refusing to back down.
The roaring jet engines masked the terrifying silence stretching between the broken family.
Cheyenne yelled from the doorway of the plane, urging Joshua to hurry before the authorities arrived.
"I will shoot you right here and tell the police it was self-defense against a hysterical woman," Joshua threatened calmly.
Gretchen looked into the eyes of the man she had loved for fourteen years and saw absolutely nothing but a ruthless stranger.
"If you pull that trigger, the cartel will never get their money," Gretchen bluffed desperately.
Joshua's confident expression faltered slightly at the mere mention of his dangerous employers.
"I took the original financial documents from your home office today," Gretchen lied smoothly.
"They are safely locked away with my attorney, and they expose your entire money laundering operation."
Joshua lowered the gun a fraction of an inch, his mind calculating the massive, deadly risk.
"If I am dead, my lawyer turns everything over to the FBI, and your cartel bosses will skin you alive," she added.
The color completely drained from Cheyenne's face as she listened closely from the top of the stairs.
Joshua gritted his teeth, knowing he was officially cornered by his own careless arrogance.
"What do you want, Gretchen?" he demanded bitterly.
"I take Maxine home right now, and you meet me at the courthouse tomorrow morning as planned," she dictated.
"We will sign the papers in front of the judge, but we will negotiate the terms my way."
Joshua stared at her with pure, unadulterated hatred burning in his dark eyes.
He slowly holstered the weapon and stepped aside to let them pass safely.
Gretchen grabbed Maxine's trembling hand and marched away from the private jet without looking back.
She knew she had merely bought herself a temporary twelve-hour stay of execution.
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As they climbed into a rideshare car, Gretchen's phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.
The text read, "Joshua works for us, but he is stealing from us too, so meet me at midnight if you want to survive tomorrow."
