Chapter 8 - The Tarmac
The jet engines screamed behind Marcus, sending a blast of hot exhaust across the tarmac.
He walked slowly down the metal stairs, his gun completely steady in his hand.
“You always were too stubborn for your own good, Ethan,” Marcus yelled over the engine noise.
“Where is my mother?” I shouted back, gripping the heavy steel wrench.
“She is comfortable.”
“She is getting on a flight to a private facility in Switzerland.”
“She will be very well taken care of once she signs the papers.”
I pulled the digital hard drive from my pocket and held it up.
“I have the dashcam footage, Marcus.”
His confident expression flickered slightly.
“I know you drove the truck that pushed my father off the bridge.”
“I have the banking records proving Arthur Sterling is laundering cartel money.”
“If you shoot me, all of this gets automatically emailed to the FBI in exactly ten minutes.”
It was a desperate bluff, but I needed him to hesitate.
Marcus stopped walking, his eyes locked onto the small black drive in my hand.
“Arthur Sterling is going down, Marcus.”
“You are just the hired help, and they will absolutely throw you under the bus to save themselves.”
Marcus lowered his gun a fraction of an inch, clearly calculating his survival odds.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
“Let my mother off that plane, and I will give you the hard drive.”
“You take the jet, fly anywhere you want, and disappear before the cartel realizes Arthur is exposed.”
Marcus looked back at the open door of the aircraft.
He knew Claire and Arthur were inside, completely unaware of the evidence I possessed.
He made his choice.
Marcus turned around, walked up the stairs, and disappeared inside the cabin.
A moment later, I heard a woman scream.
It was Claire.
Two gunshots rang out from inside the plane, muffled by the roar of the engines.
My heart stopped completely.
Then, Marcus appeared in the doorway again.
He was gently supporting my mother by her arm, helping her navigate the steep stairs.
I dropped the wrench and sprinted forward to catch her.
She was exhausted, but completely unharmed.
“Take her,” Marcus said coldly, pushing her into my arms.
I handed him the hard drive without a second thought.
“Arthur Sterling won't be a problem for you anymore,” Marcus said, looking down at his blood-stained hands.
He pulled the heavy door shut, sealing himself inside the aircraft.
I carried my mother away from the tarmac as the jet engines roared to full power.
The plane taxied around my abandoned truck and lifted into the gray morning sky.
I had saved my mother.
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I had eliminated Arthur and Claire.
I thought the nightmare was finally over.
