Chapter 19 - The Ultimatum
My hand instinctively moved to the cold steel of the folding knife in my pocket, my mind racing through a dozen tactical scenarios, but before I could take a single step forward from the shadows of the pillar, a heavy arm wrapped around my throat in a brutal chokehold, cutting off my air supply instantly. A heavy boot kicked the back of my knee, buckling my leg and sending me crashing hard onto the wet concrete floor. The tablet slipped from my fingers, sliding across the slick surface toward Gerald Cole’s polished leather shoes. Gerald turned slowly at the sound, a cold, predatory smile spreading across his face as he looked down at the device and then up at me, where two armed security guards were holding my arms twisted painfully behind my back. "Well, if it isn't our favorite whistleblower," Gerald drawled, his voice dripping with aristocratic contempt as he crouched down to pick up the tablet. "You just don't know when to stay dead and buried down on your pretty little coast, do you, Rachel?" Tessa strained against her bonds, her eyes wide with terror as she screamed for me to run, but a heavy hand clamped roughly over her mouth, silencing her instantly. Gerald stood up, casually pocketing the tablet before stepping right up until he was towering directly over me, his gaze fixed on my face with malicious satisfaction. "You brought us the exact decryption keys we were missing to finish the drainage protocol," Gerald whispered softly, leaning in close so only I could hear. "And now, you get a front-row seat to watch your friend drown when we flood this entire sector in exactly ten minutes."
