Chapter 7 - The Final Gamble
“Her blood pressure is bottoming out!” Dr. Lawson yelled, ripping off his bloody gloves and grabbing the paddles of the defibrillator. “Charge to two hundred! Clear!”
The heavy electrical thud shook Maya’s small frame against the operating table.
I screamed, trying to rush forward, but Agent Vance’s heavy hand clamped down hard on my shoulder, holding me back.
“Let me go! My daughter is dying!” I thrashed against him, tears blinding my eyes.
“If she flatlines, the data link inside her neural-thermal circuit shuts down permanently,” Agent Vance said urgently into his lapel mic. “Get the emergency frequency overrides from the primary server! We need her alive to trace the network back to the syndicate!”
“Clear!” Dr. Lawson shouted a second time.
Thump.
Maya’s body jerked again.
On the monitor, the flat line flickered. A weak, jagged wave struggled back to life.
Beep... beep... beep...
“She’s back in sinus rhythm,” Dr. Lawson panted, wiping sweat from his forehead with his forearm. “Get her stabilized on life support immediately. Move her to the ICU. Now!”
As the medical team swarmed the table, wheeling Maya’s bed toward the intensive care unit, Agent Vance looked down at me with a grim, calculating expression.
“Mrs. Thorne, your husband’s betrayal has triggered a much larger net than you realize. The syndicate he was working with is currently scrubbing their servers. If we want to bring them down and keep your daughter safe from retaliation, we need inside access to Robert’s private terminal at his office.”
I stared at the federal agent, my grief instantly hardening into pure, unadulterated vengeance.
Robert had sold our daughter. He had traded her life, her health, and her future for a bank account that was probably already locked. He thought he was untouchable behind his quiet dinners and his cheap American flag on the front porch.
He was wrong.
“Take me to him,” I said, my voice completely steady.
Agent Vance raised an eyebrow. “To your husband?”
“No,” I said, wiping the tears from my face and looking straight into the federal agent's eyes. “Take me to his office. I know every password, every offshore account, and every hidden file Robert thinks he locked away from me. Let’s see how much his precious checkbook is worth when I burn his entire empire to the ground.”
May you like
Agent Vance held my gaze for three long seconds. Then, a slow, grim smile touched the corner of his mouth.
“Get your coat, Mrs. Thorne. Let’s go pay your husband a visit.”
