Chapter 12 - Hostage Protocol
Panic surged through Mark like an electric shock. He sprinted out of the vault, bypassing the security grid with reckless abandon, slamming through the glass doors of the penthouse corridor.
He tore out into the emergency stairwell, taking four steps at a time down toward the street level. He reached for his phone, frantically dialing the federal agent guarding Elena and the girls.
The line rang four times before picking up. The sound of heavy breathing echoed over the speaker, followed by the cold, metallic voice of Viktor.
"Your federal guardians are sleeping, Mark," Viktor said smoothly. "And little Lily is right here beside me."
Mark stopped dead in his tracks on the cold concrete landing, his lungs burning for air. "Touch her and I will tear you apart with my bare hands."
"Save your threats," Viktor replied calmly. "Here are the terms: bring the hard drive to the abandoned shipping docks at Pier 42 within thirty minutes. Alone. No police, no federal agents. If we spot a single tail, the girl dies."
A muffled, terrified cry from Lily echoed in the background before the call disconnected.
Mark leaned against the damp concrete wall, his heart pounding violently against his ribs. He was being drawn into an obvious trap, but he had no choice. He pulled out his secondary communicator, sending a single encrypted ping to Elena’s hidden emergency tracker—a micro-chip he had sewn into her coat lining before they parted.
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Elena was still free—Julian’s men had only captured Lily during a tactical distraction.
Mark charged down the remaining flights of stairs, stepping out into the rainy Manhattan night, ready for total war.
