Chapter 2

[15:00]

Fifteen minutes left on the clock.

Owen's lips had already turned a horrible shade of blue, his head hanging limp against his chest. He'd lost the strength to even cry.

Every breath came out of him like it was being squeezed through a rusted bellows, each one trailing a thin, ragged wheeze.

The bomb's red light pulsed across his face, blinking on and off like a death sentence counting down.

I'd given up on Alessandro. All of it. That man was too blinded by Vivian's tears to see anything else. Waiting on him meant my son and I died in this place, plain and simple.

"Vernon—I want to make one last call." I lifted my head and met his eyes, keeping my voice flat. "Not to Alessandro. I'll use my own money to buy our lives."

Vernon studied me for a few seconds, squinting, then tossed a backup phone across the floor without a word.

I dialed. Owen's wheezing filled the silence around me—I didn't have the luxury of hesitation anymore.

It was the emergency trust fund I'd set aside before I ever married Alessandro. Fifty million dollars, sitting in an anonymous Swiss account.

I never planned to touch it. It was Owen's safety net. Just in case.

The call connected, and I switched to Russian, firing off orders in rapid succession:

"This is Black Swan. Authorization code: Odyssey-774. West District shipyard. Highest-level tactical rescue with bomb disposal, on-site within ten minutes. Fee: ten million, execute immediately."

The operator on the other end stayed silent for three full seconds.

Three seconds that shoved my heart straight up into my throat.

"I'm very sorry, Madam Black Swan." Her voice carried a mechanical note of regret. "Your directive cannot be executed."

"Why not?!" I snapped. "There's fifty million in my account!"

"Ma'am, our records show that forty-five minutes ago, top-level authorization on your account was changed. The transfer failed to go through—your trust fund has been frozen."

The world tilted under me.

"Frozen by whom?"

"I'm sorry, but we're not authorized to access that information. I'd suggest contacting your asset custodian."

Clatter.

The phone slipped through my fingers and hit the concrete floor.

I just knelt there, staring at nothing, my mind completely blank.

Fifty million. Money I'd bled for in the crossfire, money meant to keep my son alive—gone.

Vernon had been listening the whole time. He didn't laugh. Didn't even mock me.

He just leaned against the steel pillar and looked at me with something close to pity, then slowly shook his head.

That look cut deeper than any taunt ever could.

[10:00]

Ten minutes left.

Owen's body suddenly seized up.

His little hand clutched the armrest, knuckles going white, his whole frame locking tight for a few seconds before he sagged like a cut string.

His head lolled to the side, and his breathing broke apart into short, gurgling wheezes.

Vernon bent down, scooped up the phone, and dialed Alessandro. He hit speaker.

"Godfather." Vernon's voice dropped low. "Ten minutes. Your wife and kid are going sky-high. Don't you want to hear their last words?"

An engine hummed through the speaker, layered over faint classical music.

Alessandro's voice came through as cold as ever:

"Vernon? I don't care how Madelyn paid you to stage this little drama—you've managed to annoy me. You think a stunt like this is going to squeeze a ransom out of me?"

"Alessandro!" I screamed into the phone. "Are you the one who froze my fund? That money was for Owen's life! Where did you put it?!"

A pause.

Then Alessandro let out a quiet laugh, like I'd said something beneath his notice.

"So you actually went after that account." He scoffed. "Madelyn, I've known about that little nest egg of yours for quite some time. Did you really think you could hide it from me?"

"That money was mine!"

"The moment you married me, everything you had became the family's."

There wasn't a flicker of emotion in his voice. "Vivian's been on edge lately and needs somewhere quiet to recover. I used the funds to buy her a villa in Sicily—she said she wanted to watch the dolphins. Your money was sitting idle. I reallocated it."

Dolphins.

Fifty million dollars. My son's life. All of it traded for a villa with a dolphin view.

My nails dug into my palms hard enough to break skin. I couldn't feel it.

"As my wife, you've shown no generosity toward Vivian—and now you're colluding with outsiders to shake me down?"

Alessandro went on. "I'd actually sent a helicopter to pick you up and end this farce of yours.

"But then that damn cat knocked over a glass of wine and ruined Vivian's couture gown, and she's in tears. I need to see to her first."

He paused. "The helicopter's turned around. Once Vivian calms down, I'll consider sending a car for you. In the meantime, have Owen cut out his pathetic asthma act."

In the background, Vivian's voice drifted in just on cue:

"Alessandro… my dress is ruined… I waited six months for this dress…"

That breathy little whimper—pitched just right, aimed just right—slid between my ribs like a knife.

"Don't cry, sweetheart, I'll buy you a new one." He soothed her, then turned back to the line for one final word. "Madelyn—you're on your own."

The line went dead.

The shipyard was left with nothing but the ticking of the C4 and Owen's fading breath.

Vernon stood in the shadows, watching me, saying nothing.

I didn't cry this time. I was out of tears. I got to my feet slowly and looked at Owen.

His lashes still trembled. He was still alive.

A dress. He chose a dress over my son's life.

I turned to face Vernon.

"You said you wanted money." My voice came out soft and level. "If I can get you something worth more than the ransom—would you listen?"

Vernon raised an eyebrow.

The red digits on the bomb kept blinking.

05:47. 05:46. 05:45.