Chapter 6 - Fire on the Waterfront
The north docks were shrouded in heavy river fog when Nathan’s convoy pulled up two blocks away from the abandoned meatpacking plant. Sirens blared in the distance as federal tactical units moved into position, surrounding the perimeter.
Nathan watched through night-vision monitors inside the armored SUV as law enforcement breached the warehouse doors. Gunfire echoed through the damp night air, followed by flashbang detonations that illuminated the shattered windows.
Ten minutes later, the radio crackled. “Target secure. Daniel Reed found alive, severe injuries, requiring immediate medical evacuation.”
Nathan stepped out into the frigid air, walking briskly toward the ambulance where paramedics were stabilizing a bruised, bloody, and exhausted man. Daniel Reed lay on a stretcher, his breathing labored, his face swollen from days of brutal interrogation.
As Nathan approached, Daniel opened his swollen eyes, squinting up at the man in the bespoke suit standing beside his gurney.
“Are... are my kids... alive?” Daniel rasped, his voice barely a breath.
“They are safe,” Nathan said clearly, taking Daniel’s battered hand. “Maisie saved Rowan in Westfield Square. I found them. They are at my home right now, fed, warm, and protected.”
Tears cut clean tracks through the dirt and blood on Daniel’s face. He squeezed Nathan’s hand with trembling strength. “The cardboard box... she kept him inside the box...”
“She sang to him every minute,” Nathan said gently. “She’s the bravest four-year-old on earth.”
“Apex... they wanted me to sign—”
“Apex is finished,” Nathan interrupted firmly. “Federal agents just seized their corporate headquarters, and their CEO is under arrest. You did it, Daniel. You exposed them, and you survived.”
May you like
Daniel closed his eyes, weeping silently as the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance. “Thank you... thank you for saving my babies...”
“They saved me first,” Nathan murmured into the cold night wind.
