Chapter 12 - The Exchange
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The shipping yards were a sprawling maze of rusted containers, towering cranes, and dilapidated brick warehouses situated right on the freezing edge of the river. The blizzard had wiped out all visibility, transforming the area into a desolate, icy wasteland.
Daniel parked the SUV a quarter-mile away from Warehouse 7, the location Rachel had given him. Elias slipped out of the passenger side, pulling a black ski mask over his face and racking the slide of his shotgun.
“I’ll take the roof,” Elias whispered, his breath visible in the freezing air. “Give me five minutes to get in position. When you see a green laser on the main door, you walk in.”
Daniel nodded. He watched Elias disappear into the blinding snow, moving with a silent, lethal grace that betrayed his severe shoulder injury. Daniel looked down at the burner phone and typed out a text.
“I am at the warehouse. I have the digital security key for the transfer. Bring my wife to the front.”
He hit send. Less than a minute later, the massive steel roll-up door of Warehouse 7 began to grind upward, revealing a dimly lit interior. Two men armed with assault rifles stood at the entrance, staring out into the storm.
Daniel checked his watch. Four minutes. He waited in the freezing wind, his hands numb, his heart pounding a violent rhythm against his ribs. He imagined Emma inside, terrified, in pain. He imagined his unborn child.
Suddenly, a tiny, brilliant green dot appeared on the chest of the guard on the left.
Elias was in position.
Daniel took a deep breath, raised his hands to show he was unarmed, and walked out of the whiteout toward the open door.
The guards instantly raised their rifles.
“Stop right there, Carter,” one of them barked. “Keep your hands where we can see them.”
Daniel stopped ten feet away. “I'm here for my wife. I have the Vanguard codes on a secure drive in my pocket.”
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A third man stepped out from the shadows of the warehouse. He was wearing a tailored suit that looked entirely out of place in the grimy environment. He had cold, dead eyes and a cruel smile. This was Silas.
“Mr. Carter,” Silas said smoothly. “I admire your punctuality. But I'm afraid your wife is currently a bit indisposed. The stress of the evening seems to have induced early labor.”
