Chapter 10 - The Ghost ProtocolBy 4:15 a.m., the Maine woods were swarming with federal ghosts.
Echo-Actual’s team arrived in two stealth Blackhawks, flying below radar, their running lights extinguished. They descended upon my ruined cabin like a swarm of silent locusts, instantly securing the perimeter and bagging the bodies of Silas Thorne’s hit squad.
Inside the kitchen, Echo-Actual stood over the bleeding, whimpering form of Griggs. The tactical commander’s face was an unreadable mask of professional indifference.
"Medevac is ten minutes out for the VIP," Echo-Actual reported, turning to me. "We're taking her directly to Site Bravo. She’ll be housed in a subterranean bunker with Level 5 biometric security. The President of the United States couldn't get to her without my authorization."
I zipped up my heavy canvas duffel bag. "Make sure she gets a hot meal, Echo. And a therapist who possesses a very high security clearance."
"Consider it done, sir." Echo-Actual looked down at Griggs, then back at me. "What about the trash?"
"The trash talks," I replied coldly. I walked over to Griggs, crouching down so my eyes were level with his pale, sweating face. "Silas Thorne. Where does he operate?"
"I... I told you," Griggs gasped, clutching his shattered hands. "Chicago. The Gold Coast. He runs his syndicate out of a high-rise..."
"An address, Griggs. I need an address, or I leave you here to bleed out before the medic arrives."
"The Apex Tower!" Griggs sobbed, the fight completely drained from him. "Top three floors! It’s a fortress, man. Private elevators, armed security, reinforced glass. You can’t just walk in!"
I stood up, adjusting the collar of my dark tactical jacket. "I don't plan on walking."
I looked at Echo-Actual. "Clean up the mess here. I need a transport to O'Hare. Unregistered flight plan. And I need a supply drop waiting for me in a locker at Chicago Union Station."
Echo-Actual tapped his earpiece. "Done. What kind of loadout, sir?"
"CQB," I said. Close Quarters Battle. "Suppressed submachine guns, breaching charges, flashbangs, and thermal optics. I’m going into a steel box, and I plan on breaking everything inside."
A few minutes later, Lily was escorted out of the cabin by two heavily armored medics. She stopped at the door and turned to look at me. She didn't cry this time. The daughter of a ghost was finally starting to understand the world she had been protected from.
"Come back to me, Dad," she said, her voice steady.
"Always, kiddo." I kissed her forehead. "I'll see you in a few days."
As the choppers lifted off, taking my daughter to safety, I climbed into the back of a black SUV waiting on the dirt road.
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