Chapter 7 - The Burner Phone
The rain began to fall aggressively as they rushed to the black SUV.
Thunder rumbled deeply across the darkening city skyline.
They drove back to the Plaza Hotel in tense, heavy silence.
Ethan immediately went to the penthouse desk and opened his encrypted laptop.
He needed to track down the exact location of Beatrice's hidden safe.
Hannah went into the luxurious marble bathroom to change her bandages.
The dull throbbing in her crushed fingers was a constant reminder of Beatrice's cruelty.
As she carefully wrapped the fresh white gauze, a strange noise caught her attention.
It was a sharp, persistent buzzing sound.
It wasn't coming from her newly replaced smartphone resting on the vanity counter.
Hannah followed the sound out into the plush bedroom.
She opened the deep pocket of the black blazer she had worn to the board meeting.
Inside was a cheap, plastic disposable cell phone.
Her blood ran ice cold.
Someone had slipped it into her pocket during the chaotic boardroom confrontation.
She stared at the glowing screen with absolute dread.
The caller ID simply read: Unknown.
Hannah hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering.
"Hello?" she whispered, terrified that Ethan might hear her.
"Hello, my sweet little houseguest," Beatrice's venomous voice purred through the tiny speaker.
"Did you really think locking up Victor would stop me?"
"How did you get this phone to me?" Hannah demanded, her voice shaking.
"I have eyes everywhere, Hannah," Beatrice laughed cruelly.
"And I have something that belongs to you."
"Or should I say, someone."
Hannah's stomach completely dropped to the floor.
"If you touch my younger sister, I swear to God I will kill you myself," Hannah hissed fiercely.
"Oh, Sarah is perfectly fine for now," Beatrice mocked.
"She is actually enjoying a lovely cup of tea in my new private safehouse."
"But her continued good health depends entirely on you."
Tears of helpless rage welled up in Hannah's eyes.
"What do you want, Beatrice?"
"I want the encrypted flash drive Ethan keeps in his personal hotel safe."
"It contains the access codes to the offshore accounts the FBI hasn't found yet."
"Bring it to the abandoned shipyard on Pier 44 at midnight tonight."
"Come alone, or your precious sister takes a long swim with cinder blocks tied to her ankles."
The call abruptly disconnected.
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Hannah stood frozen in the middle of the luxurious bedroom.
She was trapped in an impossible nightmare.
