Chapter 26 - The Ultimatum
Before Miller could formulate a counter-offensive strategy, the silence of the cabin was shattered by a sharp, electronic chime.
Olivia’s burner phone, the one Miller had provided just hours ago, lit up on the kitchen counter. It was a secure, encrypted device, entirely untraceable. And yet, it was ringing.
Miller drew his weapon instantly, staring at the device as if it were a bomb. "Do not answer that. No one has that number."
"If he bypassed federal encryption to call this phone, he already knows where we are," Olivia said, her voice dangerously calm. She stepped forward and pressed the green button, putting the call on speakerphone.
"Hello, Olivia," a smooth, cultured, and terrifyingly calm voice echoed through the cabin.
"Elias Thorne," Olivia replied, not giving him the satisfaction of hearing her tremble.
"I must admit, I am impressed," Thorne chuckled softly. "You survived the breach. You have a very loyal captain protecting you. But loyalty cannot stop what is coming."
"What do you want, Thorne?"
"I want what belongs to me," Thorne stated, his polite tone vanishing. "The Harrington corporation was holding five hundred million dollars of my capital in offshore accounts when you liquidated it and dumped it into your pathetic little charity foundation. You stole my money to play the saint."
"It wasn't your money. It was stolen from innocent people," Olivia shot back.
"I do not care about innocent people," Thorne hissed. "I am giving you one final ultimatum, Olivia. Tomorrow morning, at 9:00 AM, you will authorize a full wire transfer of the foundation's liquid assets into a routing account I will provide. If you do this, I will let you and your son live a quiet, pathetic life in hiding."
"And if I refuse?"
May you like
"If you refuse, the next strike team won't target your panic room. They will target the community center. Your foundation. Your staff. I will burn down everything you built, and then I will come for the boy. You have twenty-four hours."
The line went dead.
