Chapter 11 - The Warden’s Offer
The heavy steel door of the holding cell slammed shut, leaving Arthur alone in the suffocating silence. He reached slowly into the pocket of his light blue button-down shirt, his trembling fingers brushing against the cold, metallic edge of the solid-state drive Julian had mentioned. It was no larger than a matchbook, yet it held the weight of an entire international conspiracy—and his daughter’s freedom.
Footsteps approached the cell again, heavier this time. Arthur shoved his hand deep into his pocket, his heart leaping into his throat. But it wasn’t Julian Thorne returning for the drive.
It was Detective Miller, accompanied by a towering prison guard holding a heavy iron ring of keys. Miller didn't look at Arthur immediately; she stared down at a tablet computer in her hands, her brow furrowed in deep concentration.
“Open the cell,” Miller instructed the guard.
The heavy lock clicked, and the iron door swung inward with a groan. Miller stepped inside the small cell, motioning for the guard to wait outside in the corridor. She crossed her arms, fixing Arthur with a piercing, analytical gaze.
“You’ve been remarkably quiet since we brought you in, Arthur,” Miller began, pacing slowly across the concrete floor. “Usually, innocent men scream their heads off, demand lawyers, and bang on the doors. You’ve just sat there, staring at the floor like you’re waiting for an executioner.”
Arthur kept his hand firmly glued to his pocket, feeling the sharp corner of the hidden drive pressing into his palm. “I have nothing left to say to you, Detective. You already think we’re criminals.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” Miller admitted, letting out a heavy sigh as she stopped pacing and looked him dead in the eye. “Two hours ago, Julian Thorne walked out of this precinct’s front lobby using a visitor badge under a fake alias. Security cameras caught him leaving.”
Arthur’s eyes widened slightly despite his best efforts to remain poker-faced. “Julian was here?”
“Oh, you know who he is,” Miller said sharply, leaning in close. “Which confirms my suspicion that this isn't just a simple bank robbery or a stunt. Thorne is a high-level cyber-mercenary wanted by federal intelligence agencies across three continents. And he’s been hunting for a missing hardware wallet containing fifty million dollars in decentralized digital assets.”
“I don’t know anything about fifty million dollars,” Arthur said steadily, though his pulse was roaring in his ears.
Miller reached out, her hand stopping just inches from Arthur’s chest pocket. “Your daughter is currently locked in the psychiatric ward under heavy sedation, Arthur. The hospital director wants to commit her indefinitely because her phantom pregnancy broke every medical protocol they’ve ever seen. But I have the power to discharge her into protective custody tonight... if you hand over what Thorne was whispering to you about through these bars.”
Arthur stared at the detective, weighing the impossible gamble. If he trusted Miller, he might save Clara. But if Miller was secretly working with Julian Thorne, handing over the drive would sign their death warrants.
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“Prove it,” Arthur whispered, his voice cracking with desperation. “Prove to me you aren't on his payroll, and I’ll show you what’s in my pocket.”
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