The ultimatum
PRESENT DAY
RYAN
It’s been nearly twenty-four hours. Twenty-four agonizing hours since Violet went missing—no, since she was kidnapped by that psychopath. My fists tightened at the memory of what Lisa had told me.
How the bastard had been locked up after murdering Violet’s father. How he had been pronounced dead and now he appeared out of the moon is still so confusing.
I swallowed hard, my body tensingwith barely contained rage as the image of a terrified, helpless Violet flashed in my mind. The thought of him even touching her—of her being alone with him, scared, powerless—made my chest tighten, and my fists curl so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
The guilt gnawed at me. I should’ve been there. I should’ve protected her. I let this happen. I've been so consumed by anger and pride that I left her alone there and now she was out there, God knows where, and in God knows what condition.
That monster better pray I don’t find him first.
I ran a hand over my face, trying to steady myself, but the anger wouldn’t fade. How could it? I couldn’t get her terrified face out of my mind. The look she must have had when she realized who he was. The fear, the helplessness. It was all consuming.
I slammed my fist against the wall, the sharp pain doing nothing to dull the ache in my chest.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath,
“Ryan.” Lisa’s voice cut through my thoughts, snapping me back to the present. I looked up to see her standing at my door,her face pale and lined with worry. She looked exhausted, like she hadn’t slept in days, and her voice trembled as she spoke. “He called.”
My heart stopped for a second before picking up at a frantic pace. “What? When?”
“Just now,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.
“He—he wants to talk.”
We’d suspended the camp as soon as we realized what had happened, and all of us had headed back to New York. There hadn't been any lead so far,no contact from him,no clue where she might be not even from the police. But now, this was the first solid piece of information we had.
He wanted to talk? Fine. I’d talk. And then I’d rip him apart. I followed Lisa to the living room where my dad, Ashley and Luke were already gathered. They've both been here ever since.
Lisa connected the video call, and the screen flickered to life. My stomach twisted in knots as his face appeared—a smug, infuriating smirk on his lips. I felt the anger simmering just beneath my skin, threatening to boil over.
“Lisa Winters…” he drawled, leaning back in his chair. “Still so pretty, like the old days.”
“Shut up, you murderer!” Lisa shouted, her voice trembing with emotion as tears streamed down her face.
“Murderer?” he mocked, placing a hand to his chest feigning hurt “Your daughter said the same. It's been years, Lisa. No pleasantries? No ‘how have you been after all these years?’ I’m truly hurt. But I suppose you’re in a bit of a rush.” His smirk grew more wide with each word.
My hands clenched into fists, every muscle in my body tensed with the need to rip that grin off his face.
“Tell us where she is,” my father spoke now and the bastard chuckled. “Ah, I must say, you play the father figure well. But Lisa…” He turned his gaze back to her, his eyes narrowing. “I’m disappointed. I never thought you’d remarry. Blake must be rolling in his grave.”
“Keep his name out of your mouth!” Lisa snarled, her voice breaking. “Where is she?”
Ashley, who had been quietly sobbing in the corner, finally found her voice. “Please, tell us where she is!”
His gaze shifted to Ashley, and for a brief moment, a flicker of something—amusement?—crossed his face. “Violet's little friend. I never thought she’d make one, honestly. She—”
“Where is she?” I interrupted before he could finish, my patience wearing thin.
For the first time, he turned his attention to me, his eyes scanning me as though assessing something. Then his lips curled into another smile. “Ah, you must be her stepbrother right?”
“Where is she?” I growled again, ignoring his question. Every second he wasted with his games was another second Violet was in danger.
His grin widened, but there was no humor in it.
“You know, I kind of like you. Direct, straight to the point. Well, don’t worry, Violet is… safe. For now.”
He leaned closer to the camera, eyes narrowing as his voice dropped to something darker. “What do I want? See, I’ve had a lot of time to think about that. I’ve been thinking about how unfair life has been to me. How her father ruined everything for me. I had it all once, and now… look at me. A man with nothing. No reputation. No future. A fugitive, hiding in the shadows. Do you think that’s fair”
“I don’t give a damn about your sob story!” I snapped. Tell me what you want, or so help me, I’ll—”
He cut me off with a chuckle, a sound that grated against my nerves.
“Straight to the point. Good. You see, all I want is a little balance. A little justice, if you will. And I think Violet’s going to help me get that. She’s going to fix what her father destroyed.” His words hung in the air with a hint of twisted satisfaction.
“Justice? You think holding her hostage is justice?” Luke asked. For the first time,he talked.
“What exactly do you want?” My father chipped in
He leaned back again, the smugness radiating from him like a cloud
“Oh, it’s simple, really. You see, I need a sizable sum of money—one billion, to be exact. I’m sure you can arrange that in a jiffy, considering your family’s… resources.
“One billion?” Lisa repeated. “That’s too much.”
“Too much?”He chuckled softly“If you can't, well, let’s just say Violet will pay the price for your reluctance. She’ll find herself in a very unfortunate situation, and I’m not sure she’ll make it out alive.” He paused, letting his threat sink in. “You have ten hours to gather the money. If I don't receive it then,you can say your goodbyes”
And the screen went blank.
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