Chapter 13 - The Final Ultimatum
Victor lowered the gun slightly, a cruel, satisfied smile playing across his lips as he stepped into the dim light of the cabin. Two of his men flanked him, dragging a battered and unconscious Mark between them, his head hanging limply against his chest.
“Mark!” Clara screamed, dropping the rotary phone and rushing forward, but one of Victor’s enforcers stepped into her path, shoving her roughly back against the wooden table.
“Stay back, Mrs. Reynolds,” Victor warned coldly. He gestured to his men, who dumped Mark’s limp body onto the dusty floorboards at Clara’s feet.
Clara dropped to her knees beside Mark, cradling his head in her lap. Blood trickled from a deep cut above his eyebrow, and his breathing was shallow and ragged. “Mark? Mark, wake up. Please look at me.”
Mark groaned softly, his eyelids fluttering open as he stared up at her through swollen, bruised eyes. “Clara... I’m sorry... I tried to keep you safe...”
“Save your breath, hero,” Victor interrupted, stepping closer and looking down at them with absolute contempt. He pulled a small, heavy flash drive from his coat pocket and tossed it onto the table next to the cardboard box. “The three million dollars, plus interest. It’s all on that drive. The access codes are locked inside.”
Mark forced himself to prop up on his elbows, glaring at Victor with pure defiance. “You won’t get the codes. I set a dead-man’s switch. If I don't enter the override sequence by midnight, the entire account wipes itself clean forever.”
Victor’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a dark, dangerous scowl. He stepped forward and pressed the heel of his heavy boot down onto Mark’s hand, grinding it into the dusty floorboards.
Mark bit his lip to keep from screaming out in agony, his face contorting in pain.
“Daddy!” Lily cried out, breaking away from the corner and running over to try and push Victor’s leg away with her small hands. “Leave my daddy alone! Stop it!”
Victor looked down at the five-year-old girl standing before him, her big hazel eyes filled with tears and unbridled fury. For a fraction of a second, something resembling hesitation flickered across his hard features, before he coldly pushed Lily aside with the back of his hand, sending her stumbling backward against the table.
Clara caught Lily just in time, pulling her into a tight, protective embrace. A deep, primal rage rose up inside Clara, overriding her fear. She gently set Lily down, stood up slowly to her full height, and walked right up to Victor, staring him directly in the eyes without flinching.
“You want the codes?” Clara asked, her voice dangerously calm and steady. “You’ll get them. But first, you’re going to let my daughter and my husband walk out of these woods unharmed.”
Victor laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. “You’re in no position to negotiate, Mrs. Reynolds.”
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“Try me,” Clara said, reaching behind her back and pulling a heavy, rusted hunting knife from a sheath hidden beneath the canvas tarp on the table. Before Victor could react, she pressed the sharp steel blade directly against the main carotid artery in his neck.
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