Chapter 5 - The Hostage
I stood completely still as Ewald aggressively pressed the gun harder against my fragile spine.
Alexander screamed loudly and took a bold step forward, but Ewald violently raised his empty hand.
"Take one more step, boy, and your mother permanently paints this server rack," Ewald snarled viciously.
Mr. Sterling slowly stepped out from the dark shadows, his hands raised high in peaceful surrender.
"Let her go right now, Ewald," Mr. Sterling said with extreme, calculated calmness.
Ewald laughed, an ugly, grating sound that echoed horribly in the vast basement.
"Ah, the legendary billionaire knight in shining armor," Ewald mocked cruelly.
"I knew you were helping this pathetic old bat, which is exactly why I followed you here tonight."
Bianca suddenly emerged from the concrete stairwell, smirking happily as she walked to her father's side.
"Did you honestly think you could outsmart us, Helga?" she asked, her voice heavily dripping with venom.
"Hand over the flash drive right now, Sterling, or I happily let my dad pull the trigger."
Alexander looked at his treacherous wife in absolute, unadulterated disgust.
"Bianca, stop this insanity right now," he pleaded. "You have ruined my life, please do not hurt my mother."
Bianca rolled her heavily painted eyes.
"You ruined your own pathetic life the day you decided to stay permanently attached to this maid's dirty apron strings," she snapped.
Mr. Sterling sighed heavily and pulled the encrypted flash drive from his jacket pocket.
He tossed it carelessly onto the floor, sliding it smoothly across the tiles toward Ewald's feet.
Ewald snatched it up quickly, a look of pure, greedy triumph washing over his sweaty face.
"Thank you kindly for doing the dirty work for us," Ewald sneered.
He slowly lowered the handgun, signaling for Bianca to move quickly toward the emergency exit.
"Enjoy federal prison, Alexander," Ewald laughed loudly. "The real police are already on their way, and they will find you standing inside the vault you just robbed."
Ewald shoved me incredibly hard against the metal racks, completely knocking the wind out of me.
He and Bianca sprinted up the stairs, leaving us trapped like rats in the basement.
Loud sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder and more intimidating by the second.
Alexander rushed over and pulled me into a incredibly tight embrace, sobbing heavily into my shoulder.
"I am so incredibly sorry, Mom," he cried. "I was so terrified of going to jail, I cowardly let them treat you like garbage."
I rubbed his shaking back gently, hot tears stinging my own eyes as I finally held my son again.
"It is okay, my sweet boy," I whispered softly. "I forgive you for everything."
The real police aggressively stormed the building, bright flashlights cutting through the darkness as they rushed down the stairs.
"Hands high in the air!" the lead tactical officer shouted, aiming his automatic weapon directly at us.
Mr. Sterling calmly put his hands up, but he was shockingly smiling.
Alexander shook with sheer terror, thoroughly believing our lives were completely over.
"It is totally over, Mom," Alexander whispered in total defeat.
I reached deep into my uniform pocket and pulled out another matching flash drive.
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"No, Alexander," I said with a fierce, victorious smile.
"It is just beginning, because Ewald just stole a drive packed full of military-grade digital viruses."
