flash
The audio file on Marina’s phone was timestamped three minutes ago. Ignacio’s thumb hovered over the screen, trembling so violently he nearly dropped the device into the crib. / Chapter 16 / 20

Chapter 16 - The Ultimate Bargain

Ignacio stared at the radio, his blood turning to ice. "They have the hospital network. They're threatening civilians."

"It's a psychological bluff," Sarah warned, checking the magazine of her weapon. "They can't afford a public massacre; it draws too much international attention. But they will corner us if we stay underground."

"I'm not running anymore, Sarah," Ignacio said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, cold calm. He picked April up, setting her securely against his chest in a heavy canvas baby carrier. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his grandfather’s heavy hunting knife, sliding it alongside Marina’s old cell phone.

"What are you planning?" Sarah asked, narrowing her eyes.

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"We go to the East End bridge," Ignacio replied steadily. "Not to surrender—to finish it. Marina left me the keys to the kingdom. It's time to open the door."

They emerged from the maintenance hatch two hours before dawn, stepping out into the cold, gray drizzle of the city’s industrial district, heading straight toward the towering suspension cables of the East End bridge where the fog hung thick over the black water.

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