Chapter 10 - The Ultimate Leverage
"The trade, kid. Bag and journal on the ground, right now, or I paint this gravel with her brains," the masked man snarled, his eyes fixed on Leo with absolute, merciless intent.
Sarah’s eyes locked onto Leo, wide with terror and pleading him silently to turn and run. But Leo knew there was nowhere left to run. They were trapped in the middle of a dead railyard, surrounded by armed killers who viewed human life as nothing more than a disposable commodity.
Slowly, deliberately, Leo knelt down in the wet gravel, keeping Lily cradled securely in one arm while he unzipped the leather satchel with the other. He pulled out the heavy flash drive, the fake passports, and the blood-stained journal, stacking them neatly on the cold stones between his feet.
"Step back. Ten paces," the gunman ordered, keeping the pistol firmly pressed against Sarah’s temple.
Leo backed away slowly, his eyes never leaving his mother’s face. "Don't hurt her. I gave you everything you wanted."
One of the masked guards stepped forward, kicking the satchel aside to check the contents. He picked up the flash drive, inspecting it closely under the beam of his flashlight, before nodding slowly to the leader.
"It's all here, boss. The complete decryption keys and the ledger," the guard reported.
The leader let out a cold, satisfied chuckle. He lowered the pistol slightly from Sarah’s head, and Leo felt a momentary, fragile spark of hope flare in his chest. But the hope was shattered in a heartbeat.
"You didn't really think we were going to leave loose ends, did you?" the leader mocked, raising his weapon to point directly at Leo’s chest instead. "Say goodbye to your mother, kid."
Sarah screamed, throwing her entire body forward in a desperate attempt to shield her son, but a second guard grabbed her arms and yanked her backward.
At that exact second, the darkness above them erupted in a blinding flash of white light. A heavy-duty spotlight mounted on a stealth helicopter suddenly tore through the night clouds, bathing Sector 7 in an artificial noon. The deafening roar of twin rotor blades shook the ground beneath their feet, kicking up a violent vortex of dust, gravel, and loose debris.
Through the roaring wind, a voice boomed from the helicopter’s high-powered exterior speakers.
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"Federal Law Enforcement! Drop your weapons immediately and place your hands behind your heads! You are completely surrounded!"
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