Chapter 3 - The Shadow Over Seattle
By 8:00 AM the following morning, the news of Nia Whitaker’s "disappearance" had begun circulating through local Seattle media.
A carefully rehearsed statement issued by Harbor Point Clinic claimed that Nurse Nia Whitaker had committed grand theft of confidential patient records and was wanted for questioning by the police in connection with corporate embezzlement.
Victor Raines had used his political connections to turn the victim into the fugitive.
Inside a penthouse suite overlooking downtown Seattle, Victor Raines was pouring himself a glass of whiskey. He was fifty-two years old, with slicked-back graying hair, sharp blue eyes, and a tailored Italian suit.
His head of security, a towering brute named Brody, stood before him.
"Did you find the girl?" Raines asked smoothly.
"We lost her track near the waterfront docks near West Seattle," Brody replied nervously. "Her phone signal went dead right into the bay. We found traces of her blood on the curb, but no body."
Raines set his glass down hard on the marble counter. "A blood trail on the curb means someone picked her up, Brody! She has the ledger! If those files hit the U.S. Attorney’s desk, every asset we own in North America gets frozen!"
"Sir, we checked the local ERs," Brody stammered. "She hasn't checked into any hospital in the city."
Before Raines could curse his lieutenant, the heavy double doors of his private penthouse were blown off their hinges with a deafening BOOM.
Smoke and glass filled the air as six heavily armed men in black tactical gear stormed the penthouse, clearing corners with military precision. Before Raines’ bodyguards could even pull their weapons, they were struck down by non-lethal flashbangs and pinned to the floor by iron boots.
Through the clearing smoke walked Adrian Vale, wearing a long dark coat, his hands resting calmly in his pockets. Marcus Grant walked beside him, holding a silenced pistol lowered at his side.
Raines gasped, stepping back against his mahogany desk. "Vale?! What the hell is the meaning of this? You're breaking the Syndicate Council treaty! You can't attack my private estate!"
Adrian walked over to Raines’ desk, picked up Raines’ crystal glass of whiskey, poured it onto the expensive Persian rug, and set the empty glass back down.
"Where is the girl, Victor?" Adrian asked quietly.
Raines forced a sneer, trying to hide the cold sweat breaking out on his neck. "What girl? I don't know what you're talking about."
Adrian stepped forward, his hand moving like lightning. He grabbed Raines by his silk tie, slamming his head down onto the marble desk with enough force to crack the polished stone.
"Nia Whitaker," Adrian whispered into Raines’ ear as Raines groaned in agony, blood trickling from his nose. "The nurse you beat on the side of the road. The nurse whose bones you broke."
Raines’ eyes widened in sudden, horrifying realization. "She... she was with you? She was running to you?!"
"She wasn't running to me," Adrian said, lifting Raines up by his collar. "She was running from you. And now, Victor, you have made the fatal mistake of hurting someone under my personal protection."
"She has my ledger!" Raines gasped, coughing up blood. "She's a thief! She ruined a hundred-million-dollar operation!"
"She saved innocent lives," Adrian replied, his voice devoid of any human mercy. "And as of this morning, your hundred-million-dollar operation is being dismantled, piece by piece."
May you like
Adrian let go of Raines, who collapsed onto his knees on the rug.
"I’m not going to kill you today, Victor," Adrian declared, looking down at the groveling crime boss. "Killing you now would be too easy. I am going to strip you of every dollar, every dock, every crooked doctor, and every dirty politician who ever took your money. And when you have nothing left, I am going to let Nia decide your fate."
