Chapter 5 - The Trap
Ramirez activated his siren, tearing through the city streets toward the international airport.
The rain started to fall, slicking the roads and mirroring the night of my terrible accident.
My phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket, displaying an unknown caller ID.
I answered it and put it on speakerphone so Ramirez and Dana could hear.
"Jessica," my father's gravelly voice filled the car, sending shivers down my spine.
"It is a miracle you survived, sweetheart."
"Where are my kids?" I screamed into the receiver, ignoring his sick, twisted affection.
"They are perfectly safe, eating ice cream at a diner near the private airstrip," he replied calmly.
"But if you want them to stay safe, you will tell the police to back off immediately."
"You will meet us at the old warehouse by the docks, alone."
"If you bring the cops, Kevin will take the children on a very long boat ride."
The line went dead, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence in the police cruiser.
Ramirez slammed his hand against the steering wheel, cursing loudly in Spanish.
"It is a trap," Dana said, shaking her head. "They have no intention of giving you those kids."
"They need you dead to finalize the insurance claim, Jessica."
"I know," I said, looking down at my hands. "But I have no choice."
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I looked at Ramirez, my eyes begging him to understand my impossible position.
"Drop me off at the warehouse."
