Chapter 4
1021 Words
When Silas walked out of the hospital, the sunlight was bright enough to sting his eyes, but he could handle it. What really got to him were the stares coming from all directions.
A few people who had just left the hospital gathered together, glancing at him and whispering.
He caught bits of "that's him," "the other guy," and "poor ex-husband."
He lowered his head and pulled out his phone.
He didn't even have to search. His face was right there in the local news push notification.
The headline screamed: "Negotiator Suspected of Affair. Did New Lover Move In While Ex-Husband Was Sick?"
He tapped on it. There was a video clip taken at his apartment gate the day before.
It clearly showed him, surrounded by reporters, ducking his head and shoving through.
The video came with an interview recording of Ethan. His voice was choked with sobs, but his words were sharp and clear.
"Audrey and I got divorced because I got sick. I didn't want to drag her down... But she promised me she'd wait until I got better. And Mr. Reed, I knew him during the bank robbery. I even comforted him. I never thought he would..."
The comments had already hit 10K.
A: [He knew she was married and still was with her. Drove the ex-husband to ruin. Anyway, people these days will do anything to climb the ladder. ]
B: [Heard his father's surgery was arranged through his wife's connections. A little gift breeds gratitude. A big gift breeds resentment.]
C: [Poor ex-husband. Sick and still had his wife stolen away. And their daughter is so young...]
Silas closed his phone. The screen went black, reflecting his own pale face back at him.
An old van suddenly screeched to a halt right in front of him. The door slid open with a loud rattle.
Before he could react, two hands grabbed his arms from behind and yanked him into the vehicle.
A damp cloth was pressed over his mouth and nose. His struggle faded fast.
The last things he saw were the trees rushing past the window and his suitcase lying alone on the sidewalk, tipped over.
When he woke up again, a kid's scream rang in his ears.
Silas forced his eyes open. His blurry vision took a few seconds to focus.
He was in an abandoned warehouse. The air smelled of dust and rust.
His hands were tied behind his back. His mouth was sealed with duct tape.
The sound came from beside him.
He turned his head and saw Mia.
The little girl was huddled in the corner, her face wet with tears, her clothes dirty, her wrists bound with rope.
Seeing that he was awake, Mia cried even harder, sobbing and calling for her mom and dad.
Three men stood in the middle of the warehouse, all wearing masks.
One of them, a stocky guy, was on a call. His voice was rough and gravelly. "Audrey Quinn, you can only take one of them, your husband or your daughter."
The call was on speaker. Audrey's voice came through, so tight it sounded like it could snap any second. "Don't hurt them. We can talk about anything..."
"Cut the crap!" the man snapped. He pulled a knife from behind his waist and stepped between Silas and Mia. "Make your choice. Husband or daughter? You have sixty seconds."
The call was still connected. Heavy breathing came from the other end, followed by Ethan's frantic cries. "Audrey! Audrey, save Mia! She's our daughter! Please..."
Mia was so scared she curled into a tight ball, crying so hard she could barely breathe.
The line went silent for two seconds.
Then Audrey's voice came again, every word forced out through clenched teeth. "Let my daughter go."
Silas closed his eyes.
Actually, it wasn't surprising at all. Not one bit.
But his heart still felt like someone had stabbed straight through it. The cold wind howled, and his whole body trembled.
"You hear that?" The man turned the knife toward Silas and nodded at his accomplices. "He is yours."
The other two men walked over and yanked Silas to his feet.
He struggled with everything he had, but with his hands tied, it was no use. They dragged him to a corner on the other side of the warehouse.
The tape was ripped off his mouth. He gasped for air and saw the knife glint in the dim light.
"No fuss. No noise. Really obedient." The man with the knife snickered. The tip of the blade moved down and dragged across Silas's neck. "Too bad. Being obedient doesn't mean s**t. Your wife still doesn't want you..."
Bang!
The warehouse door slammed open.
Blinding light flooded in. Silas squinted and saw SWAT officers charging in against the light, dressed in black tactical gear, rifles raised, fanning out fast.
"Drop your weapons!"
The scene exploded into chaos.
The man with the knife cursed, dragged Silas backward, and pressed the blade hard against his neck.
Another kidnapper tried to run but got tackled and pinned to the ground by the SWAT officers.
"Nobody move!" the man roared. The knife bit into his skin. Warm blood trickled down. "One more step and I'll kill him!"
Silas could barely breathe. His vision started to blur.
He saw Audrey burst through the door. Her face was deathly pale. Her eyes were locked on the knife at his neck.
The man glanced at Audrey, then at Silas. His eyes flickered.
It all happened in that split second.
Silas threw every last bit of his strength into a hard backward slam!
The man was caught completely off guard. His grip loosened for an instant. At the same moment, a gunshot rang out.
The bullet hit the kidnapper. But the knife had already sliced a deep gash across Silas's neck.
Blood poured out. He heard Audrey scream, loud, raw, like something was being ripped out of her.
Right before his vision went completely black, he saw Audrey rushing toward him. Her face held an expression he had never seen before: pure terror, crushing despair, a complete breakdown.
- Writer
