"Cool it cool it cool it," Jack repeated, his voice shaking slightly as he stood up from under the desk with his hands raised. The goon's gun was trained on him, and Jack knew that his life hung in the balance. "I have the ledger," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "But I need your word that you'll let me go if I hand it over to you."
The goon scanned Jack up and down, his expression inscrutable. He glanced over at his partner, who was also aiming his pistol at Jack. For a moment, there was silence.
Finally, the goon spoke. "We got orders that we take him out, right?" he said, his voice low. "He might have seen the contents of the ledger, and you know that we can't let this man get away."
Jack felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. He knew that he was in serious trouble. He had stumbled onto something big, something that had put his life in danger.
