Chapter 14

Through the hidden phone line in Laura's purse, Detective Harlan was listening to every single word. Miles away, positioned in the dense treeline just outside the northern wall of the depot, Harlan gripped his weapon, his face tight with grim determination. He raised his hand, signaling his tactical team to move in completely silent formation toward the side entrances.

"Hold your fire until we have a clean angle," Harlan whispered into his radio headset. "The suspect has a weapon pointed at the hostage on an elevated platform. We need a synchronized breach."

Inside the depot, Laura could feel the seconds ticking away. She needed to buy them just a little more time. She needed to distract Vincent, to draw his focus away from the helpless woman beside him.

"You think you've won, Vincent?" Laura shouted, taking a deliberate step closer to the concrete trench, her boots crunching loudly on the gravel. "Even if you kill us, you're finished! The police already have the printed ledger from your jar! They know about the bearded man you sent to my lobby! He’s talking right now!"

Vincent’s face darkened, the calm facade finally slipping, revealing the volatile, monstrous ego underneath. "He knows nothing! He's a low-level thug who does what he's told!"

"He knew enough to lead them to your apartment!" Laura countered, bluffing with everything she had. "The police are dismantling your entire operation as we speak. This drive is the only thing you have left to bargain with. If you destroy it, or if you kill us, you lose your only exit strategy!"

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Vincent’s grip on the gun tightened. His knuckles turned white. He looked down at Laura, his eyes burning with sudden, psychotic rage. He hated being challenged, especially by someone he considered an ordinary civilian.

"I don't need a bargain," Vincent snarled, stepping closer to the catwalk railing, his gun lowering slightly from the mother's head, pointing directly down at Laura's chest. "I have enough cash hidden in this city to disappear forever. And I think I'll start by erasing you."