Chapter 3 - The Ghost of Teterboro
The rain had turned into a thick, icy fog by the time three black armored SUVs tore across the tarmac at Teterboro Airport.
Garrett sat in the backseat of the lead vehicle, his dark suit replaced by a black tactical turtleneck and a heavy leather coat. Beside him sat Laura, wearing a sleek black jacket Garrett’s men had provided, her hands resting calmly in her lap.
Outside, the silhouette of a Gulfstream g550 sat near the edge of Runway 4, its engines whining as they spooled up for takeoff. Two airport security vehicles with flashing red lights lay overturned on the wet asphalt—courtesy of Garrett’s advance team.
"They aren't going to let us take her down quietly," Laura noted, watching out the tinted window as ten men in dark suits stepped out from behind the aircraft, holding submachine guns.
"Good," Garrett growled softly, unholstering a sleek, custom black SIG Sauer from his shoulder rig. "I prefer it when my enemies don't beg."
The SUV slammed to a halt fifty yards from the jet.
Before the tires even stopped spinning, Garrett opened his door and stepped out into the freezing rain. Dominic and eight heavily armed Hardwick soldiers fanned out behind him, forming an impenetrable wall of steel and firepower.
"Mateo Moretti!" Garrett’s voice boomed across the tarmac, cutting through the roar of the jet engines like a cannon shot. "Step off the plane and leave the woman!"
A tall, broad man with slicked-back dark hair and a sharp, cruel face stepped onto the air stairs of the Gulfstream. It was Mateo Moretti—the ruthless underboss of the Moretti crime syndicate and Maya’s former fiancé before her death.
Beside Mateo stood Celeste Vane.
Her silk dress was ruined by the wind and rain, her blonde hair plastered to her face, her bottom lip swollen and purple from where Laura had struck her earlier. The arrogance she had displayed in the Hardwick mansion was gone, replaced by a desperate, frantic fear.
"You're too late, Garrett!" Mateo shouted back, a wicked, jagged grin stretching across his face. "Celeste brought me everything! Maya's ledgers, the offshore account codes... and the news about the child!"
Laura felt her blood run ice cold. She stepped out of the SUV, standing right beside Garrett despite Dominic’s attempt to shield her.
"How did you know about Clara?!" Laura yelled into the rain.
Celeste saw Laura and let out a shriek of pure hatred. "You little bitch! You thought you could play hero?! I found Maya's diary in the secret drawer of her vanity three days ago! I knew Mateo would pay tens of millions for the girl who carries both Hardwick and Moretti blood!"
Garrett didn't lose his temper. His gray eyes turned into liquid lead.
"You touched my sister's memory, Celeste," Garrett said, his tone deathly quiet, yet carrying so much malice that Mateo’s grin visibly faltered. "You took her words and sold them to the scum who killed her."
"I took what I was owed!" Celeste screamed, her voice breaking. "You treated me like a trophy! You kept me on a leash while mourning your dead sister for four years! I deserved that empire!"
"You deserved nothing," Garrett replied coldly.
Mateo pulled Celeste behind him, raising a heavy silver revolver. "It doesn't matter, Hardwick! My men have already located the safe house in Queens! By the time you kill me, my soldiers will have the girl!"
Laura’s heart stopped beating. "No..."
Garrett didn't panic. He slowly lifted his left hand, looking at his tactical watch, counting down out loud.
"Three... two... one."
A violent explosion rocked the far side of the airfield.
A heavy tactical transport van parked near the runway perimeter suddenly burst into flames. Seconds later, Garrett’s radio cracked to life with the voice of Marcus, his head of covert operations in Queens.
"Boss, Queens safe house is clear. Three Moretti hitmen neutralized. The child was never there. We moved her to the safe house in Manhattan four hours ago as Miss Beckett requested."
Mateo’s face drained of all color. He spun around toward the plane, realizing he had been completely outplayed. "Get us airborne! NOW!"
"Take them," Garrett commanded.
What followed was twenty seconds of pure, terrifying violence.
Garrett’s men opened fire with suppressed rifles, taking out Mateo’s guards with frightening, surgical precision. Bullets ripped through the rain, shattering the glass of the cockpit, puncturing the tires of the Gulfstream.
Mateo tried to sprint up the stairs, but Garrett moved like a panther. He covered the distance in five massive strides, grabbed Mateo by his collar, and slammed the heavy mob boss face-first onto the wet metal steps.
A sickening CRACK echoed over the rain. Mateo’s nose shattered, blood spurting across his designer coat.
Celeste shrieked, backing away toward the edge of the stairs, her high heels slipping on the wet metal. She lost her balance and fell four feet onto the tarmac, landing hard on her elbow, screaming in agony.
Garrett stood over Mateo, pressing the heavy steel barrel of his SIG Sauer directly against the base of Mateo’s skull.
"Did you kill my sister, Mateo?" Garrett asked, his voice completely devoid of human emotion. "Tell me the truth, and I'll give you a quick bullet. Lie to me, and I turn you over to Dominic."
Mateo lay choking on his own blood, his hands trembling as he held them up in surrender. "It... it wasn't me! I swear on my mother's grave, Garrett! It was Celeste's father! Arthur Vane! He paid the bomb maker to eliminate Maya so Celeste could marry you and merge the Vane logistics network with the Hardwick family!"
In the rain below, Celeste froze. Her eyes went wide with pure terror as Garrett’s gaze slowly turned toward her.
"My father..." Celeste gasped, her voice barely a whisper. "He... he promised it would make us rich..."
Garrett stepped off the stairs, leaving the bleeding Mateo to his guards. He walked toward Celeste, stopping right above her as she cowered on the wet pavement.
"Your father murdered my sister," Garrett said softly, his voice cutting deeper than any blade. "He used you to poison my home. And you tried to steal my sister's child."
He looked over at Dominic.
"Take Mateo and Celeste to the basement at the docks," Garrett commanded. "Find Arthur Vane. Bring him there too. I will deal with them all before sunrise."
"Yes, Don Hardwick," Dominic replied, motioning for the guards to drag the screaming Celeste and the bleeding Mateo into the back of a armored van.
Laura stood in the rain, her body shaking from the adrenaline and the bitter cold.
Garrett turned to her. The lethal monster vanished, replaced once again by the man whose eyes softened only when he looked at her. He stripped off his heavy leather coat and wrapped it around Laura’s shoulders, pulling her against his broad, warm chest.
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"They're gone, Laura," Garrett whispered, his hands holding her arms gently through the heavy leather. "It's over."
"It's not over," Laura whispered back, looking up into his dark eyes, her breath fanning out in pale white clouds. "We still have to go to Manhattan. Clara is waiting."
