Chapter 8 - The Abduction
Julian kicked his jammed door open and quickly secured the perimeter.
He scooped up the ringing burner phone from the wet pavement and handed it to me.
I wiped the blood from my forehead and accepted the call.
"Hello, Sabrina," Gavin's arrogant, mocking voice echoed through the cheap speaker.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart pounding with sheer adrenaline.
"You are completely out of your mind, Gavin," I told him, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I am simply protecting my investments," Gavin laughed darkly.
I could hear Charlotte sobbing hysterically in the background of the call.
"I have the traitor, and I know she gave you my private files," Gavin said.
"If you want to keep her breathing, you are going to give me what I want."
I looked at the briefcase full of damning evidence resting safely on my lap.
"Charlotte means absolutely nothing to me," I bluffed coldly.
"You can kill her right now, and I will still hand this evidence to the FBI."
There was a long, tense silence on the other end of the line.
"It isn't just about the files, Sabrina," Gavin finally replied, his voice dropping low.
"I want the $3.2 billion wire transfer released immediately."
Gavin was completely desperate to save his dying empire at any cost.
"Unfreeze the money, bring the briefcase, and meet me at the SwiftFreight executive garage in thirty minutes."
"And if I don't?" I challenged.
"Then I send my men to the hospital to finish the job on your father," Gavin threatened.
My blood instantly boiled with absolute, uncontrollable hatred.
He had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.
"I will be there," I promised, and I ended the call.
Julian looked at me with deep concern in his eyes.
"We cannot go to that garage, Ms. Miller," Julian warned urgently.
"It is a highly controlled environment, and it is a guaranteed death trap."
I opened my laptop and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.
"I am not going there to negotiate, Julian," I explained, logging into the secure banking portal.
"I am going there to absolutely destroy him."
I authorized the massive wire transfer, releasing the frozen billions into Gavin's corporate accounts.
Julian watched the screen in utter disbelief.
"You just gave him everything he wanted," Julian protested.
I closed the laptop with a loud, definitive snap.
"I just gave him a reason to confess while he thinks he has won," I corrected him.
I grabbed the briefcase of evidence and stepped out of the wrecked vehicle.
"Call your security teams, Julian, and tell them to lock down the perimeter of that garage."
We climbed into a backup vehicle that Julian had summoned to the diner.
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I stared out the window into the dark night, knowing this was the final battle.
I was walking directly into the lion's den.
