President's Daughter's Bodyguard-Chapter 82: Round Three…

Chapter 82: Round Three...

Ethan’s men placed many cameras with the pale blue lights that were all aimed at Danielle.

She sat in the middle of the frame, tied to a metal chair.

There was a bomb vest put on top of her trembling body.

Her eyes were half-open, face pale from exhaustion and starvation. The bruises along her jaw were purple and deep.

She was tired...so tired of this madness that Danielle promised if she’d ever survive this-she would disappear far away from anyone who meant her harm.

Ethan adjusted one of the cameras, humming softly as if he were preparing for a concert rather than a public execution.

His hair looked so messy and his shirt was splattered with someone else’s blood. Yet he looked too calm and happy.

"Perfect," he said, smiling at the screen as it went live. "Now everyone gets to watch."

Jackson lay on the ground, he was also barely conscious after the beating that was done.

Frank was on another monitor, watching the broadcast with wide horrified eyes, trying to trace the signal.

And miles away, inside the presidential palace, Elias Geiger looked like a frozen lake in front of the giant screen where his daughter’s image came into view.

His hands trembled against the table, veins strained with rage and fear.

The broadcast began not only to the presidential house, but to the whole country...

"Good evening, Germanya," Ethan’s voice purred through the speakers. "I am your friendly messenger of truth. And this," he pointed to Danielle without even looking at her, "is the daughter of your beloved president. Poor thing. I know she looks a little thinner than usual. I would have fed her, but I was afraid she might bite."

His laughter was light, childlike, and yet every sound of it made the air suffocating.

Elias slammed his fist on the table. "That monster...someone cut that feed now!"

But no one moved. The broadcast had already spread to every network, every device, every street screen across the country. People who had just been eating dinner now dropped their forks and stared in silence.

Ethan leaned closer to the camera. His blue eyes just shined with madness. "Mr. President," he called, "are you watching? I hope you are. Because you see, this is not about your daughter. Not really. This is about you and the devil who made you."

He began pacing, "Once upon a time, there were two men. Zack Hale and Elias Geiger. Both thought they could play gods. Both thought they could decide who deserved life and who did not. One built power from money, the other from fear. And together they created something much worse than me."

He stopped beside Danielle and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She flinched but didn’t cry.

"See this little flower?" he said, staring back into the camera. "She is what remains of their perfect world. Pure blood... Pure lineage...The last piece of the lie they built."

He smiled wider. "I think it is poetic, don’t you? That the same bloodline will now end in front of millions."

Frank shouted into his radio. "Trace it! Trace it now! We cannot lose her!"

Jackson groaned from the floor, whispering weakly, "Ethan, stop this."

Ethan tilted his head. "Oh, Jackson...Still alive. How annoying. I liked you better quiet."

He kicked Jackson hard in the ribs, and the man gasped, curling in pain.

Ethan turned back to the camera, brushed his hands together, and leaned closer as though sharing a secret.

"You know, I have not fed her since the kidnapping...I wanted the world to see how fragile she really is. Heroes are always starving in the end."

Danielle’s lips trembled. She wanted to speak and beg him to stop, but she could barely breathe.

Elias’s eyes filled with tears that burned hotter than fury. "I swear to God," he whispered, "I will make him pay."

Ethan clapped once, snapping everyone’s attention back to him. "Now then, let us make this interesting. You see this pretty little red light?" He tapped the bomb on Danielle’s chest. "Tick-tock. That is my new friend. And when this friend sings, she takes the princess with her."

Elias slammed his hand against the desk again. "You are out of your mind!" he shouted at the screen.

Ethan’s smile deepened. "Oh, you’re probably thinking that I am a monster...I know. But madness is contagious, Dear president. You should know...you helped to create it."

He knelt beside Danielle again, gently lifting her chin toward the camera. "Look closely," he whispered, "this is what your silence built. This is what your greed and lies fed. I am not the monster here. I am only the mirror."

Danielle’s tear slipped down her cheek, but she met the camera with watery eyes. Her voice cracked when she spoke. "D-dad... don’t...don’t help me..."

Ethan’s grin widened, pleased by the fear in her tone. "Oh, I love when they beg."

He stood up and walked slowly toward the back wall where a clock was projected in bright red numbers...

"The game begins now," he said. "One hour until Germanya witnesses the death of its favorite princess. One hour until the world remembers my name."

He reached for the detonator and twirled it between his fingers, smiling directly into the camera. "But I am a reasonable man. I will give you all a chance. Especially you, Theo...I know you’re watching too."

The name sliced through the silence like glass.

"Yes, Theodor Hale...."

Ethan exposed his brother’s legal name on purpose, hoping everyone would blame Theo for this failure.

"I know you are watching. You always try to play the better guy, but you are late again. Always late...I wonder how it feels, knowing that the girl you failed to protect again will die because of you."

He held the detonator up to the camera.

"If you want Danielle alive, you will kill Elias Geiger. The man who ruined both our lives. The clock is ticking, and when it stops, so does her heart."