Chapter 7 - The Hostage
My face was plastered on every digital billboard we drove past.
"They own the police," I whispered, staring at my own mugshot in horror.
"Elias controls the narrative, but only until I expose that drive," Roman said, steering the van into the industrial shipping yard.
The docks were completely deserted, shrouded in heavy fog from the ocean.
Roman parked behind a stack of rusty shipping containers and checked his weapon.
"You stay here with Titan," he ordered, pulling a spare handgun from his waistband and handing it to me.
"Absolutely not," I refused, checking the safety on the gun just like he showed me earlier.
"It is too dangerous, Elara," he insisted, his voice cracking slightly.
"She is my sister, Roman," I shot back, stepping out of the van.
Titan immediately followed me, planting his heavy body firmly by my side.
Roman sighed, realizing he could not stop either of us.
We crept through the fog, moving silently between the towering stacks of metal crates.
Warehouse 4 loomed ahead, its massive metal doors slightly ajar.
Roman signaled for me to wait while he slipped inside to secure the perimeter.
A minute later, he reappeared and nodded for me to follow.
The warehouse was eerily empty, save for a single chair illuminated by a harsh overhead light in the center of the room.
Chloe was sitting there, tied to the chair, a gag over her mouth.
I sobbed in relief and started sprinting toward her.
"Wait!" Roman yelled, tackling me to the dirty concrete floor.
Chloe’s eyes were wide with terror as she frantically shook her head, trying to warn us.
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Strapped to her chest was a massive explosive device with a digital timer glowing red in the dark.
The timer read exactly ten seconds.
