Chapter 15 - The Ultimatum
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We spent two agonizing days locked inside the concrete walls of the safehouse. The silence was deafening, punctuated only by the crackle of encrypted radio traffic as Gabriel communicated with the surviving loyalists scattered across the city.
The war had escalated into a brutal, bloody stalemate. The Volkovs had superior numbers, but Damian’s men held the strategic chokepoints of the city’s infrastructure.
On the third evening, the fragile peace of our bunker was shattered.
Gabriel walked into the main living area, his face pale and tight with fury. He held a sleek, black burner phone in his hand.
"Damian," Gabriel said grimly, holding the phone out. "It’s Tyler Bennett."
The name hit me like a physical blow. The air rushed out of my lungs, my hands instantly growing clammy. The ghost of my past had finally found the phone number of my present.
Damian’s jaw locked. He took the phone, hitting the speaker button so the entire room could hear.
"Tyler," Damian said, his voice dropping into a register of absolute, terrifying murder.
"Damian Romano," Tyler’s smug, arrogant voice echoed through the small speaker. "I have to admit, you put up a hell of a fight in that tunnel. But you can't hide in a concrete box forever."
"I am not hiding," Damian replied smoothly. "I am simply deciding which part of your body I am going to remove first when I find you."
Tyler let out a harsh, barking laugh that made my stomach churn. "You aren't finding me, Romano. Because I am holding all the cards. I know exactly where your little stray dog came from. I paid a visit to Milwaukee this morning."
My blood ran entirely cold.
"What did you do, Tyler?" I whispered, leaning forward, the terror strangling my voice.
"Harper, baby! I was hoping you were listening," Tyler mocked cheerfully. "I stopped by that little diner you used to work at. I had a lovely chat with your best friend, Sarah. She’s a sweet girl. Cries a lot, though."
A muffled, terrified sob echoed in the background of the call.
"Leave her alone!" I screamed, lunging for the phone, tears springing to my eyes. Sarah had been the only person who helped me escape Tyler six years ago. She had given me the money for the bus ticket to Chicago.
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"I’ll leave her alone when you give me what I want," Tyler snarled, abandoning the cheerful facade. "I want the micro-SD card your father left you. I want the Volkov master ledger. Bring it to the abandoned shipping yards on Pier 44 tonight at midnight. Come alone, Harper. If you bring Romano, or if you don't show, Sarah goes into the lake in pieces."
The line went dead.
