Chapter 7 - The Ransom
Mason's arrogant voice echoed terribly through the underground armory, filling the room with a suffocating tension.
Adrian snatched the cell phone directly out of my hand, his knuckles turning entirely white from his crushing grip.
"If you put a single bullet in Dante's head, I will personally burn you alive, Mason," Adrian growled into the receiver.
Mason simply laughed, a sickening sound that completely betrayed the years he had spent acting as Adrian's most trusted friend.
"You are in no position to make threats, old man, because you are weak, bleeding, and running out of loyal men," Mason mocked.
He demanded that Adrian come alone to Pier 44, entirely unarmed, or he would mail Dante to us in several different boxes.
The line went completely dead, leaving a heavy, agonizing silence in the cold bunker.
Dr. Brooks stepped forward, shaking her head vigorously in absolute protest.
"Mr. Vale, you just had major surgery and a near-lethal systemic infection, you cannot possibly go out there fighting," she pleaded.
Adrian ignored her entirely, strapping a Kevlar vest over his blood-stained surgical gown and loading a fresh magazine into his pistol.
"Dante stayed behind to save Clara and Lily, and I do not abandon my people," Adrian stated with finality.
I looked at the heavy bags of weapons lining the walls and made the most terrifying decision of my entire life.
"I am going with you," I said firmly, stepping forward and picking up a compact handgun from the table.
Adrian stared at me in complete shock, his dark eyes widening at my sudden, reckless bravery.
"Absolutely not, Clara, you are a mother and you need to stay here where it is safe," Adrian commanded sharply.
I shook my head, checking the safety on the weapon exactly as I had seen in movies.
"Lily will stay here safely with Dr. Brooks, but Mason knows me, and I can easily act as a distraction again," I argued.
Adrian tried to protest further, but the sheer, unwavering determination in my eyes finally silenced him.
He nodded slowly, tossing me a spare bulletproof vest from a nearby storage crate.
I kissed Lily's forehead gently, promising her that I would be back very soon with her favorite pancakes.
Adrian and I drove a sleek black sports car out of the armory, speeding fiercely toward the desolate harbor.
The rain had finally stopped, leaving the docks covered in a thick, eerie layer of rolling sea fog.
We parked a block away from Pier 44, quietly making our way through the maze of towering shipping containers.
We spotted Mason standing under a flickering streetlamp, holding a gun to the back of a badly beaten Dante who was tied to a chair.
A dozen of Victoria Sterling's heavily armed mercenaries surrounded them, effectively creating a deadly, impenetrable perimeter.
Adrian signaled for me to stay hidden behind a crate while he stepped out into the open to face the traitors.
"I am right here, Mason, so let the boy go," Adrian announced, his hands raised to show he was seemingly unarmed.
Mason smiled maliciously, pressing the barrel of his gun harder against Dante's bleeding skull.
"You actually showed up, Adrian, which proves you have gone completely soft," Mason sneered triumphantly.
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Before Mason could pull the trigger, the shipping container directly behind him suddenly creaked loudly.
The heavy metal doors swung open, revealing Victoria Sterling holding a high-powered sniper rifle aimed directly at Mason's back.
