Chapter 29 - The Innocent Pawn|
I walked quickly out of the massive prison with Daniel's damning recorded confession burning a massive hole in my pocket, feeling a very dark, deeply satisfying sense of closure. As I drove rapidly back toward Chicago to prepare for the night's incredibly dangerous sting operation, my secure phone rang. It was an entirely unknown number. I answered it very cautiously.
"Rachel?" a deeply frantic, heavily tearful voice whispered desperately on the other end of the line. "Please, God, don't hang up. It's Olivia."
I gripped the leather steering wheel tightly, my mind instantly flashing back to Gate 42, to the deceitful woman in the navy jacket who had happily helped Daniel completely destroy my life. "Olivia. How on earth did you get this secure number?"
"It absolutely doesn't matter," she sobbed hysterically. "Rachel, I desperately need your help. It's about James. My little son."
"What exactly about him?" I asked sharply, my fierce protective instincts violently flaring despite my deeply painful history with her.
"Two very scary men violently broke into my apartment this morning," Olivia cried, her voice trembling with absolute terror. "They aggressively locked me in the small bathroom and told me explicitly that if Daniel’s grand plan didn't work today, they were going to brutally take James. They said they firmly work for a man named Thorne. Rachel, I completely know I ruined your life. I know you deeply hate me. But James is innocent. He's Daniel's son, and they are ruthlessly using him as a backup plan."
My blood boiled furiously. Thorne wasn't just threatening Sophie and Ethan; he was actively threatening an innocent toddler to brutally ensure Daniel's complete compliance.
"Where exactly are you right now?" I demanded authoritatively.
"I grabbed James and ran desperately to a cheap motel off Interstate 55. We're terrified."
"Give me the exact address," I ordered firmly. "Do not open the door for anyone. I am immediately sending a highly armed private security team to pick you up. They will securely bring you to a safe house."
"Why are you helping me after everything?" Olivia asked, breaking down entirely into heavy, wracking sobs.
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"Because I know exactly what it's like to be deeply manipulated and terrified by Daniel," I said softly but firmly. "And because no innocent child ever deserves to pay for the sins of their father. Sit incredibly tight, Olivia. Heavy help is on the way."
I hung up the phone and immediately called Marcus, firmly instructing him to instantly divert two of his best men to secure Olivia and James. We were meticulously tying up absolutely all of Thorne's loose ends.
