Chapter 15
The enforcer threw Michael violently to the filthy carpet. Michael gasped for air, crawling backward like a terrified animal, but the three massive men quickly surrounded him.
"Take him," the lead enforcer commanded. "The Boss wants to speak with him."
Two men grabbed Michael by his arms, dragging him brutally out the door toward a waiting van. David and Jessica cowered in the corner, absolutely paralyzed by terror, watching their son being taken away to pay a debt in blood. They had lost their home, their wealth, and now their golden child, all because they had pushed Emily too far.
Across the city, Emily sat in the secured, underground command center beneath her corporate headquarters. The room was bathed in cool, blue light from dozens of monitors. Silas stood beside her, reviewing the encrypted communications they had intercepted from the syndicate.
"The Russians took Michael from the motel ten minutes ago," Silas reported, his gravelly voice flat. "They are holding him at a shipping warehouse on the docks."
Emily stared at the monitors, her beautiful, classic movie-star features carved into a mask of pure, unforgiving ice.
"They expect me to negotiate," Emily analyzed, her crisp American accent cutting through the hum of the servers. "They think that because he is the father of my children, I will leverage my company to buy his life."
"Will you, Ms. Carter?" Silas asked cautiously.
Emily slowly turned her head, her piercing eyes locking onto her security chief. "Michael Carter is a parasite. He allowed his mother to throw garbage at my daughters. He forged my signature to steal ten million dollars, and he brought armed mercenaries into a home where my children sleep. I will not pay a single cent for his life."
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"Then what are your orders?" Silas asked, a fierce respect burning in his eyes.
"The syndicate attacked my home. They threatened my empire," Emily stated, standing up, her posture regal and terrifying. "We are not going to negotiate. We are going to the docks, and we are going to burn their entire operation to the ground."
