Chapter 10 - The Ultimatum
"Vance," Julian growled, stepping toward the main screen as if he could strangle the man through the glass. "You're a dead man."
Vance laughed—a dry, grating sound. "Always so dramatic, Julian. Always the blunt instrument. I didn't call to trade threats. I called to offer a trade."
"I don't negotiate with ghosts," Julian spat.
"You'll negotiate with me," Vance replied smoothly. The screen split, showing a live feed of Abby's father, Marcus, sitting in a park near his clinic, reading a newspaper. A red sniper laser dot rested squarely on his chest.
Abby gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Dad!"
"Here is the deal, Julian," Vance continued, his tone turning deadly serious. "You have twenty-four hours to transfer the master source code for Cross Industries' predictive algorithmic software to a server of my choosing. Furthermore, you will step down as CEO. If you do this, the old man lives, and I disappear."
"And if I don't?" Julian asked, his voice shaking with a terrifying, suppressed fury.
"If you don't, Marcus Mercer dies. And then, I release the fabricated evidence showing that Abby engineered the embezzlement of your company funds to pay for his rehab. She'll go to federal prison for twenty years. I will destroy your empire, and I will destroy the only thing you love."
The screen went black.
Abby was shaking violently, tears streaming down her face. She reached for her phone to call her father, but Julian snatched it from her hand, crushing it in his grip.
"Don't," Julian commanded, his voice devoid of emotion. "If you call him, Vance will know we're panicking. He might pull the trigger."
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"He's going to kill my father!" Abby screamed, hitting Julian's chest. "Give him the code, Julian! Give him the company!"
Julian grabbed her wrists, pulling her close. His eyes were completely unreadable, a vast, dark ocean. "If I give him the code, he will kill your father anyway. He leaves no loose ends. We have to play the game."
