"Give me my daughter," I snarled, stepping further into the room.

Chapter 14 - THE CLOCK TICKS.

I closed the distance between us, pressing the barrel of my gun against her forehead.

"I will not ask you again," I whispered, my finger hovering over the trigger.

She didn't flinch.

"If you kill me, you will never find out where the bride took her."

The bride.

The woman from the wedding had been the mastermind all along.

My mother had only been a pawn, a distraction to keep us occupied.

Chapter 15 - THE RINGING PHONE.

A solitary black phone sat in the center of the glass table.

I walked over to it, my hands shaking violently.

There was a small digital timer next to it, counting down from five minutes.

I stared at the glowing red numbers, a sick feeling twisting in my gut.

Suddenly, the phone began to ring.

The sound was piercing, echoing off the steel walls of the vault.

I reached out and picked up the receiver, pressing it to my ear.

A familiar, sweet voice whispered through the static.