Chapter 7 - The Hostage
Bloodied but desperate, Elias managed to draw a hidden combat knife from his boot. He slashed upward, catching Daniel's shoulder. Daniel stumbled back with a gasp. In the chaotic second that followed, Elias scrambled to his feet, grabbed Oliver by the collar, and pressed the blade to the child's throat. The room went dead silent. Clara screamed, dropping the poker. "Let him go, Elias! Take me!" she begged, tears streaming down her face. Elias backed toward the balcony doors, his eyes manic. "The empire was supposed to be mine, Daniel! You took everything!" Rain lashed against the glass as Elias kicked the balcony doors open. "Nobody moves, or the heir to the Hawthorne fortune dies tonight." With a final, sickening sneer, Elias dragged the crying boy out into the storm, locking the glass doors behind him.
