Chapter 10 - The Last Betrayal
Inside the sealed living space, the emergency lights cast an amber glow over the room.
Vanessa saw her opportunity. While Daniel was checking the security monitor near the wall, she lunged toward the corner desk, snatching up Daniel's silver encrypted flash drive that sat beside his laptop.
"Give me that!" Vanessa screamed, backing away toward the emergency side exit with the drive held tight in her manicured hand. "If I give Arthur this drive, he'll let me live!"
"Vanessa, stop!" Daniel yelled, stepping forward. "He won't leave any witnesses! You're just a pawn to him!"
"You don't know him like I do!" Vanessa shrieked, her eyes wild with unhinged panic. She reached for the emergency manual release lever on the side door, ready to unlock the steel shutter and surrender the drive to the armed men outside.
Before her fingers could touch the handle, a small voice echoed in the amber light.
"Bunny doesn't like bad people," Emma whispered softly from the corner.
Vanessa paused for a fraction of a second, looking down at the little girl holding her stuffed rabbit.
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In that single second of distraction, Detective Ramirez stepped in, executing a swift tactical disarm that sent the flash drive flying into Daniel's waiting palm.
👉 What surprise arrives outside the house as federal sirens tear through the night?
