Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Mateo is unresponsive at first, staring at the camera. And then, he laughs.
It’s dry and joyless.
“Are you threatening to kill my daughter?” he asks me. “You? Do you think the torture I went through affected my memory? You think I forgot why we got captured in the first place? You think I don’t remember that it was you who let a suspected spy walk free because he was a goddamn kid? You couldn’t even pull a trigger when it mattered. So tell me—why would I believe you’d kill my daughter in cold blood?”
My hand tightens around the phone.
He wants to hit where it hurts, I get that. But bringing that moment back–the kid I let go, the one who blew our mission wide open—is uncalled for. I made peace with that call, even if Mateo never did.
“You’re right,” I say. “I won’t kill a kid. But her parents, her mother and father? That’s a different story.”
“That man is not her father. And why should I care what happens to them? They’re practically unprotected because I want them to be. Please, shoot
them.”
I lean forward a little so he can see more of my face.
“You want to keep pretending you don’t care about your ex–wife? That’s fine,” I say. “But you care about your daughter. And if they die, she goes into foster care. You can’t legally claim her, Mateo. According to the world, you’re dead. You think they’ll just hand her over to a lunatic who staged a hostage situation on a video call?”
His mouth twitches, and his fingers dance at his side.
“You can’t kidnap her as well. She wouldn’t want to go with you or call you dad,” I continue. “You’re a stranger to her.”
Without warning, Mateo pulls his gun from the holster on his hip and fires.
Everyone jolts.
The bullet hits the floor, just inches from Hunter’s foot.
Hunter doesn’t move, but the snarl in his expression worsens. His chest is heaving now, arms flexed behind the restraints like he’s willing his body to break out of them.
Sloane grips my hand so tight my knuckles crack under the pressure.
“I’m not playing with you, Knox,” Mateo says, gun still raised. “Say the words.”
“And then what?” I ask. “You’ll let them go? You and I both know that’s bullshit. An apology isn’t the only thing you want. Let’s be honest. After I grovel and take the blame for a mission you walked into willingly, what’s next? You want my kidney? My savings account? My girl? I know how you think, T–Bone. Let’s not pretend this ends with you letting them go. It ends with you pulling the trigger. That’s the part you’re not saying. Because you’ve already decided none of them walk out.”
“The only thing you should worry about right now is what I’m asking you to do,” he snaps.
“Apologize to you?” I say, scoffing. “Go fuck yourself.”
“Knox,” Sloane hisses beside me. “What are you doing?”
I don’t answer. My focus is still on the screen/On Mateo.
Out comes another gunshot.
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Chapter 138
This one slams into the concrete beside Finn’s boot, sending chips flying.
“For God’s sake,” Finn yells, flinching hard. “If my brother isn’t sorry, I am! Okay? I totally fucking apologize! It was my fault he joined the military in the first place. If I hadn’t lied against him and he never enlisted, maybe you wouldn’t have had to go through what you did. So, I’m sorry. Okay! Just–cool off with the goddamn shooting!”
Mateo raises the gun again and fires.
The shot misses Finn’s foot by a hair.
“Shut up,” he growls. “Or I’ll shoot the only good hand you have right now.”
He turns back to me.
“I’m counting to five, Knox,” he says. “And then your friend dies.”
My eyes find Hunter. His expression is thunder. I’ve never seen him look like this. He shakes his head from left to right.
“Don’t do it, Knox,” he says. “He’s never going to let us go anyway. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Just make sure you kill the bastard when you find
him.”
“No,” Sloane says. “Don’t listen to him. What’s wrong with you, Hunter? Are you that hungry for death?” Her voice rises. “Everyone calm down. Knox is going to apologize.”
She’s glaring at me now. There’s a plea in her eyes. One she’s not saying out loud, but I feel it like a weight on my chest.
Mateo lifts his free hand. “One.”
“Just do it, for God’s sake!” Finn cries.
“Don’t listen to them, Knox,” Hunter growls. “At least let me die with my dignity intact. That’s the least you can do for me.”
“Two,” Mateo says.
“Jesus,” Serena mutters. “I’m just going to leave, bad leg or not.”
She starts to move, lifting herself from the chair and carefully raising her injured leg. A strangled scream breaks from her throat at the movement, but she keeps going, teeth clenched, dragging herself upright.
Mateo spins toward her, gun raised.
“Sit your ass down, lady,” he barks. “You had your chance.”
With a muffled groan, she lowers herself back into the chair, wincing all the way down.
“Three,” Mateo says, his attention back on me.
“Why don’t you just go ahead and do it, Mateo?” Soraya says. Her voice is surprisingly calm after all that sobbing. “Shoot us all.”
Mateo turns to her. “Didn’t I ask you all to keep quiet?”
“Or what?” she says. “You’ll shoot us?”
He raises the gun.
“You want Knox’s apology more than you want to kill anyone,” she goes on. “That’s why that gun hasn’t gone off in anyone’s head yet. If you’re ever going to get an apology from that man, you’ll have to listen to me very closely.”
Mateo narrows his eye at her. “Oh yeah? Now you want to help? Think you can get Knox to apologize?”
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Chapter 138
“I can do one better. I can get you to admit it’s your fault instead.”
Mateo’s face goes stack.
“I beg your pardon?” he says.
“You’ve got us here trapped in this little show because you think you’ve been wronged. Who wronged you exactly? Was it Knox who signed that form and made you enlist? You probably dreamed about it from a young age. Saw medals. Honors. Maybe someone in your family wore the uniform. Your dad? Your unde? A grandfather you idolized?”
Mateo bristles. “Stop talking.”
But Soraya doesn’t stop.
At a corner of the room, my tech guys start waving their hands, signaling they’re closing in on a location. I wish they’d speed it up. I’ve never been this eager about locating a place and putting someone out of their misery.
“It’s not Knox’s fault you don’t have a family to come home to, Mateo,” Soraya’s saying. “You made it possible when you filled out that form, totally willing to give your life to your country.”
“I will make sure you pack your guts off the floor if you keep talking,” says Mateo. “Hostages are supposed to beg, not do whatever the hell you think you’re doing.”
“Would that make you feel powerful?” she presses. “Me, pleading? Knox apologizing? Great. After that power trip, what’s next? Would you be happy, Mateo?”
Mateo looks at the camera. “Why do you keep getting acquainted with shrinks, Knox?”
“My dad was just like you,” Soraya says, unbothered. “Never there. Never present. Dead to me. They say having a child out of wedlock is a fatherless behavior, and in my case, it probably was. He didn’t even notice I was pregnant until I gave birth and wasn’t around anymore. My mom helped me leave the country, and I left my child with her. Hardest thing I’ve ever done. You spend nine months locked away with a baby growing inside you, and whether you want to or not, you bond with them. Letting go after that? It’s insane.”
Her eyes are on Mateo, whose attention is back to her.
“I know this story, Soraya,” Mateo says. “I know everything about you.”
about you
tree man
“But I haven’t finished the story yet, have I? When I got into this country, I couldn’t contact anyone unless they contacted me first. I don’t know how my mom pulled it off, but somehow, she got my father to care about me enough to pull strings–to free Knox, a captive of the state–so I could have a better life here. And I’m sure that cost him his life.
“When Knox found me and told me what my father had done, I forgave the man for every single thing he’d ever done to me or my mother. Five years here, and I have counted every second until I can safely and legally bring my child over here. I don’t care if she doesn’t know me. We’ll start somewhere. Knox might’ve ruined my plans of us adopting her and living like a real family when he fell in love with someone else and asked for a divorce. But I’ll figure something out. When she comes here, I’ll make sure it still feels like she never left home.
“You’re here botching up your chances of ever knowing your daughter, when she’s just a few states away. She might not know you right now, might not care. But you’re still her father. That door isn’t closed yet. You’ll never earn her love or her respect from behind bars or in a nameless grave. And those are the only two outcomes left for you if you keep this up. So think carefully, Mateo. Think about every next move. Is it really worth losing whatever shot you’ve got left at knowing your daughter?”
Mateo’s hand shakes on the cane.
“I hate shrinks,” he mutters.
Right then, the sound of someone running down a flight of stairs comes. Mateo turns toward the sound at the same time a masked man appears in the frame. He leans into Mateo, whispering something in his ear.
Mateo stiffens. This time, the tremor in his hand doesn’t stop.
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Chapter 138
Without a word, the runner dashes toward the camera.
A hand slaps over the lens.
The feed goes black.
“What the hell happened?” Levi says behind me.
“I think we’ve got a location,” Sloane says, already turning toward the tech team.
One of the men nods. “Exactly ten seconds ago. It’s an old postal warehouse off 30th and 11th, past the rail line.”
I’m already pushing out of my seat.
“Guess they figured out we know where they are,” I say, handing the phone back to Sloane. “We need to move fast.”
