Jessica cried as she shook her head.
"Please… don't hurt them," she pleaded, her voice breaking. "I'll pay you whatever you want. I'll find a way to get the money. Just don't hurt them any more!"
Donald laughed like a real villain, clearly amused.
"Do you think I want your money?" he asked, showing his contempt. "This isn't about money anymore. We're way past that."
He stepped toward her, his boots making loud sounds on the concrete floor.
"You know right that your money means nothing," he said in a low, threatening voice. "What I want is Ethan."
Jessica froze, her breath hitching as his words sank in.
"Ethan?" she whispered, her mind racing. "But why?"
Donald crouched down to her level, his smile twisting into something even more sinister. "I want the man who embarrassed me and made me a joke in Brooksville. I want to let him suffer."
He then looked right at Jessica eyes and added, "And you, my dear, are the perfect bait."
