“Mr. Griggs. I hear you’re a religious man. How much money would you value on a human life?”

Griggs grunted, snorted, and spit all at once. The effect came over as an interesting sound on the other end of the line. “I don’t play mind games with terrorists, terrorist. Nor do we negotiate with them.”

The voice at the other end tutted. “Well, that is a shame…namely for the skull at the end of my pistol.”

Griggs glanced over worriedly at the rest of his squad. They gestured for him to keep talking. “Don’t act so hasty, now – “

“Ah, repentant, are we now? You had your chance.” A sharp crack nearly blew out the receiver on the phone, and Griggs could hear a collective gasp. “Fifteen million. That’s all I ask.”

The line went dead.

Griggs sighed heavily and turned to his team.

“What are we gonna do?” Novua asked, looking up for once from his laptop. “We can’t go in there. They said what would happen.”

Griggs eyed the building.

Novua noticed the look. “No, they said what would happen. Griggs?”