Chapter 7 - DESPERATE MEASURES
Desperation is a dangerous beast. When it has nothing left to lose, it bites.
Daniel was released on electronic monitoring after his cousin Victor posted his family’s home as collateral. He
was confined to a tiny, suffocating one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city. Vanessa, having escaped
immediate arrest by posting a massive bond, was staying with him.
The luxury, the wealth, the high society they had craved were gone. They were living off cheap takeout and
stale beer, their names dragged through the mud daily on social media.
"We need a leverage, Daniel," Vanessa whispered one night, her eyes wild and bloodshot as she paced the small
living room. "The courts are going to destroy us. The federal trial is in a month. We’re going to prison!"
"What leverage do we have?" Daniel groaned, burying his face in his hands. "They have all the money. They
have the power."
"The baby," Vanessa said, her voice dropping to a frantic, manic hiss.
Daniel looked up. "What?"
"Evelyn’s baby," Vanessa said, sitting down beside him and grabbing his arm. "Your daughter. Legally, you are
still her father. There is no custody agreement in place yet. If we can get her... even just for a few hours. We can
demand they drop the federal charges and release our frozen accounts in exchange for signing away your parental
rights."
Daniel stared at her, a dark, desperate spark igniting in his chest. "That's kidnapping, Vanessa. If we get caught
—"
"We’re already going to prison for twenty years, Daniel!" Vanessa screamed. "What do we have to lose?
Besides, we don't have to break into their mansion. Evelyn has been taking the baby to the Sterling Pediatric Clinic
on West 4th Street every Tuesday morning. She barely has any security there because she thinks she’s safe."
Daniel slowly nodded, a cruel, twisted grin forming on his face. "She thinks she’s won. She thinks I’m beaten.
But I’m still the father of that child. Legally, I have the right to take my daughter."
They spent the next three days planning, monitoring the clinic's side exit, and procuring a stolen vehicle through
one of Daniel’s old shipping contacts. They were convinced they had found the perfect blind spot.
On Tuesday morning, the rain returned, casting a grey, somber shroud over the city.
Daniel and Vanessa sat in the stolen black SUV parked across the street from the pediatric clinic. At exactly
10:15 AM, the glass side door opened.
14
Evelyn walked out, holding the baby carrier close to her chest under a large umbrella. She was alone, walking
toward her parked car.
May you like
"Now," Daniel growled, shifting the SUV into drive. "Get the door."
15
