Chapter 10
The concussive blast threw Christopher off his feet, sending him crashing hard onto the concrete floor. The air was instantly sucked out of the warehouse, replaced by thick, choking black smoke that billowed from the burning wreckage of the rear wall. Flames licked greedily at the rotting wooden support beams, casting dancing shadows across the cavernous room.
“Commander! Commander Miller, report!” the radio in his earpiece squawked frantically through the static and roaring fire.
Christopher coughed violently, dragging himself up onto his knees through the haze of gray smoke. His white naval uniform was stained with soot, and a sharp pain throbbed in his left shoulder where he had slammed into the ground.
“I’m... I’m alive,” Christopher choked out, wiping ash from his eyes. “The rear wall was blown. It was a localized incendiary charge.”
“Stay where you are, we’re breaching the front shutters now!” Miller’s voice yelled over the sound of heavy metal cutting tools whining in the distance.
Christopher staggered toward the front of the warehouse, his chest burning from the toxic smoke. As he reached the heavy steel shutter, a blinding beam of light cut through the smoke as tactical police units forced an opening, cutting through the metal with a plasma torch.
Hands grabbed him, pulling him safely out into the cool, rain-drenched air of the waterfront.
“Get a medic over here!” Detective Miller ordered, kneeling beside Christopher as he collapsed onto the wet pavement, coughing and gasping for fresh air.
Christopher waved the medic away, grabbing Miller by the tactical vest with surprising strength. “They didn't just want to trap me in the bunker. The explosion... it was a distraction.”
“A distraction from what?” Miller asked, his eyes widening as he realized the implications.
“Lily,” Christopher gasped, panic surging back with renewed, terrifying force. “The warehouse was empty. They never had her in that building. It was all a staging ground to keep me moving while they relocated her to the real extraction point.”
Miller stood up instantly, shouting orders into his radio. “All units, lock down every marina, airstrip, and highway checkpoint within a fifty-mile radius! The suspect is moving the hostage!”
Christopher forced himself to his feet, ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder. The cold rain washed the soot from his face, but the fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever. He walked steadily back to his unmarked car, ignoring Miller’s protests.
“Where are you going?” Miller demanded, jogging after him.
May you like
“To the waterfront marina,” Christopher said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. “The place where Evelyn’s boat docked this morning. That’s where they’re taking her out of the country.”
As Christopher slammed his car door shut and revved the engine, his dashboard screen suddenly flickered to life on its own, displaying a new, incoming video call from an unregistered local IP address.
