Chapter 6 - The RansomEthan spat blood onto the pavement, glaring up at the shadowy figure. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure chuckled, stepping close enough for the amber streetlights to catch the glint of a silver lapel pin shaped like a serpent—the exact same crest Eleanor wore on her brooch.
"Who I am doesn't matter, Ethan. What matters is that you're holding a ticking time bomb," the man said, crouching down to lock eyes with him. "Eleanor wants the flash drive destroyed. But I represent... alternative interests. We want the empire, too. And right now, Claire is waking up from surgery in Room 404 of the General Hospital."
Ethan’s eyes widened with pure panic. "If you touch her—"
"Relax, your precious Claire is safe for the next hour," the man interrupted smoothly. "Here is your choice. You can walk into that hospital, tell the police everything, and watch Claire have an 'accidental' medical relapse before morning. Or, you can take this phone, call Eleanor, and tell her you'll hand over the physical vault keys in exchange for Claire's safe passage out of the country."
The man dropped a burner phone onto Ethan’s chest.
May you like
"You have ten minutes, Ethan. Choose love, and she dies. Choose truth, and you both die."
The men vanished into the night as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Ethan lying on the broken glass, gasping for air with the burner phone buzzing relentlessly against his ribs.
