Chapter 9 - The Reckoning at the Docks
Adrian’s face turned into a mask of pure, terrifying rage. Beside him, Clara let out a blood-curdling scream of agony.
“Where did he take her?” Adrian demanded, his voice chillingly cold.
“He... he had a helicopter waiting at the abandoned rail yard near Pier 42,” Michael wheezed. “He said... tell Moretti to bring the ledgers to Warehouse 9 within one hour, or the kid goes into the river.”
Adrian ended the call. He turned to Daniel. “Rally every tactical unit we have. Call the Moretti family captains. Tell them Chicago is on total war footing.”
“Adrian, please!” Clara wept, grabbing his lapels, her hands shaking hysterically. “Save my baby! Please! Don't let him hurt her!”
Adrian grabbed Clara by her arms, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. “Look at me, Clara. I promised Lily she was going to be safe. I promised her she would wake up to her mother. I do not break my promises. We are getting your daughter back, and Victor Kane dies today.”
Thirty minutes later, three dark tactical vans surrounded Warehouse 9 at the desolate edge of Lake Michigan. Fog rolled heavily off the black water, wrapping the rusty steel structures in ghostlike shadows.
Adrian walked openly toward the main entrance of the warehouse, clad in a long black coat, carrying the leather binder and master drive in his left hand. Clara walked half a step behind him, her eyes wide with terror and determination.
Inside the vast, dimly lit warehouse, Victor Kane stood on an elevated gantry platform, flanked by six heavily armed mercenaries. Beside him, Marcus held a terrified, crying Lily by her arm.
“You’re late, Moretti,” Victor called down, his voice echoing off the high steel rafters.
“Release the child, Victor,” Adrian said, stopping fifty feet away in the center of the concrete floor. “You have what you wanted—me, and the drives.”
“I’ll take the drives first,” Victor sneered. “Drop them on the floor and step back.”
“No,” Adrian said calmly. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small electronic detonator. “The moment I drop this button, two kilograms of C4 attached to the underside of this binder will explode, destroying the drives and taking this entire warehouse down with us.”
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Victor’s smirk faded. “You’re crazy, Moretti. You’d blow up yourself and the girl?”
“Try me,” Adrian replied, his voice completely devoid of hesitation. “You know my reputation, Victor. I don't bargain with rats. Hand over Lily, or we all end here together.”
