Chapter 15 - The Feed
I ran to Lily.
The room was empty.
My heart stopped.
“Hannah!”
No answer.
I drew my weapon.
Nolan shouted into his radio.
“Lock down the building!”
Then a small voice came from the bathroom.
“Mommy?”
Lily stepped out holding Hannah’s hand.
I nearly collapsed.
The live feed had been taken earlier.
Recorded footage.
Pike wanted us to panic.
And it worked.
For three seconds.
That was three seconds too many.
We studied the warehouse feed.
Grant’s face was swollen.
Pike walked around him calmly.
He was sixty-two.
Silver hair.
Federal posture.
The sort of man people trusted because his suit fit perfectly and his voice never needed to rise.
He looked into the camera.
“Hello, Evelyn.”
Nolan swore under his breath.
The transmission was one-way.
Pike continued.
“You were always the best agent in your unit.”
“Unfortunately, good agents are terrible wives.”
My jaw tightened.
He smiled.
“Grant became lonely.”
“Lonely men become greedy.”
“Greedy men become useful.”
Grant raised his head.
“Go to hell.”
Pike struck him.
Not hard.
Almost casually.
Then he held up a phone.
“Evelyn, I need the files Grant hid.”
“You bring them.”
“I give you your husband.”
I almost laughed.
Pike seemed to predict it.
“Yes.”
“I know you don’t want him.”
“After what he did, I wouldn’t either.”
He leaned toward the camera.
“But Grant is not the only person inside this organization who knows your daughter’s name.”
The room went cold.
“If I disappear tonight, that information goes somewhere you cannot stop.”
Nolan looked at me.
“He’s bluffing.”
“Maybe.”
Pike continued.
“You have two hours.”
The screen went black.
Santos turned toward me.
“We can hit the building.”
“Pike expects that.”
“We still have to.”
“I know.”
I looked at the warehouse layout.
Then at the drainage map.
Then at the old rail lines behind the property.
Something felt wrong.
Pike had spent years controlling investigations.
He understood federal entry tactics.
He had chosen the warehouse because he wanted agents focused there.
“Where are the servers?”
I asked.
Nolan frowned.
“What servers?”
“The backups Grant mentioned.”
“We assume warehouse.”
“Don’t assume.”
I pointed toward the industrial map.
One building stood two blocks east.
Former municipal data center.
Recently purchased by an anonymous holding company.
I recognized the name.
One of Grant’s shells.
“The warehouse is theater.”
Nolan followed my finger.
“And that’s the real target.”
I nodded.
“Pike wants us watching Grant while he destroys the list.”
The raid began thirty minutes later.
May you like
One team headed toward Grant.
I headed toward the truth.
