Chapter 4 - THE HUNT BEGINS
The convoy of four unmarked black Suburbans rolled through the industrial wasteland of Long Island City like hearses in the dark.
Inside the lead vehicle, Adrian Vale sat in total silence.
He had stripped off his suit jacket and tie, replaced by a dark tactical vest over a black long-sleeve shirt. Beside him, an open titanium case held two modified Sig Sauer pistols and several magazines filled with hollow-point rounds.
Marcus Kane sat across from him, tapping rapidly on a rugged military tablet.
"Dawson wasn't lying about the location," Marcus said, keeping his voice low. "Thermal scans show at least twelve heat signatures inside the Borden Cold Storage facility. It's a labyrinth of insulated rooms, ammonia refrigeration pipes, and concrete loading docks. If we go in with heavy suppression, there’s a ninety percent chance Cassian uses her as a shield."
Adrian picked up one of the magazines, sliding it into the grip of his weapon with a sharp, mechanical click.
"He won't use her as a shield," Adrian said, racking the slide. "He wants an audience. Victor Cassian spent his whole life craving respect he never earned. His son Leo is even worse. He wants me to beg."
"Adrian," Daniel said from the front passenger seat, glancing back through the partition. "Eric Dawson is outside the perimeter. Our scouts intercepted him walking along the railway tracks. He’s unarmed. He surrendered the second he saw our headlights."
"Bring him to the car," Adrian ordered.
Two minutes later, the rear door of the Suburban opened. Rain poured into the cabin as Daniel shoved a man inside.
Eric Dawson fell to his knees on the carpeted floorboards. The former soldier was shaking violently, his face bruised, his clothes torn. Blood trickled from a gash on his forehead where Cassian’s men had pistol-whipped him.
"Mr. Vale," Dawson choked out, his hands clasped together in desperate plea. "Mr. Vale, please... please don't kill my wife. They have them at a marina in Greenpoint. A boat... they said if I didn't lure you here, they’d sink it with my kids inside."
Adrian looked down at the man who had guarded his life for five years.
There was no fury in Adrian's eyes. Only an abyss.
"Where is Nora?" Adrian asked.
"Second floor... the old flash-freezer room at the back of the facility," Dawson stammered, tears cutting clean lines through the grime on his cheeks. "Leo has five men with him. Six more on the ground floor covering the loading docks. They set tripwires on the main entrance. You can't go through the front."
Adrian reached down, grabbed Dawson by the lapels of his jacket, and pulled him upward until their faces were inches apart.
"Did they touch her?" Adrian whispered.
Dawson swallowed hard, his eyes darting away in shame. "Leo... Leo hit her once. To get her to stop talking. That was before they brought me out."
The air inside the vehicle seemed to drop ten degrees. Marcus looked away, knowing what that silence meant. When Adrian Vale went this quiet, people died.
Adrian let go of Dawson's jacket. The guard slumped back against the seat, weeping openly.
"Marcus," Adrian said softly.
"Yes, Boss?"
"Call our team in Greenpoint. Tell them to take the marina. If anyone on that boat has a weapon within ten feet of Dawson's children, put them in the river."
Dawson looked up, stunned disbelief washing over his features. "You're... you're saving my family? After what I did?"
"Your family is innocent," Adrian said, checking the tactical light mounted under the barrel of his pistol. "You made a choice between your blood and your duty. Any father would have done the same."
Adrian stepped out into the pouring rain, turning back just once to look at the broken guard.
May you like
"Pray she is alive when I get to that room, Eric," Adrian said, the rain soaking his dark hair. "Because if she isn't, there is no corner of this earth where you will be safe from me."
***
