Chapter 15 - The Midnight Ransom
Three hours later, the war room at the NYPD Headquarters was packed with federal agents, SWAT commanders, and private intelligence teams.
Adrian sat at the head of the conference table, his knuckles bloody, his immaculate suit ruined. Beside him, I sat in a state of catatonic fury. I had stopped crying. The fear had burned away, leaving behind a cold, lethal rage that rivaled Adrian’s worst impulses.
A encrypted phone call patched directly into the precinct's main monitors.
The screen flickered to reveal Damon Kane sitting in a high-tech facility, his features a darker, scarred reflection of Adrian’s. Sitting on a chair beside him was Mia, looking surprisingly unbothered, coloring a piece of paper with a red crayon while two armed guards stood behind her.
“Hello, Adrian. Hello, Clara,” Damon’s voice purred through the speakers.
“If you touch a single hair on her head,” Adrian said in a voice so low and murderous the room went dead quiet, “I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and rip your empire apart piece by piece.”
Damon chuckled. “Save the dramatic speeches, brother. I don't want the girl’s life. I want her inheritance. My father locked five billion dollars in a smart-contract vault that only unlocks with Mia’s biometric footprint and Adrian’s master key code.”
“You want the money?” I spoke up, leaning into the camera, my eyes burning like hot coals. “You can have every cent. Give me my daughter.”
“It’s not just money, Clara,” Damon smiled darkly. “It’s total control of Blackwell & Reed and Kane Global. Bring Adrian to the abandoned ironworks in Montauk at midnight. Alone. No cops, no private security. If I see a single helicopter, the child goes into the ocean.”
The screen cut to black.
May you like
The police captain immediately stepped forward. “We can’t let you go in alone, Mr. Kane. It’s a suicide trap.”
I stood up, pulling a tactical vest over my sweater. “We aren't asking for your permission, Captain.”
