Chapter 16
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"Where is the flight logged?" Emily demanded, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Carter shouted orders to the cyber team across the room. "Check all private charters out of O'Hare and Midway! Cross-reference with the Catherine Holdings wire transfer!"
"He wouldn't use a major airport," Emily interrupted, her mind working furiously to predict her father's movements. "He despises TSA regulations and public airspace. Check the private airstrip in Gary, Indiana. He owns a logistics warehouse near the perimeter."
A cyber analyst typed rapidly. "Got it! A private Gulfstream jet filed a flight plan for a non-extradition country in South America, departing from the Gary airstrip in exactly forty-five minutes. The charter was paid in full using an untraceable crypto wallet ten minutes ago."
"We are forty minutes away in heavy traffic," Carter swore, grabbing his tactical jacket and his sidearm. "Emily, stay here. My team will intercept."
"No," Emily said, grabbing her own coat from the back of her chair. "He knows how to manipulate federal agents. He knows how to buy time. He doesn't know how to manipulate me anymore. I am going with you."
Carter looked at her, seeing the absolute, unyielding resolve in her eyes. He didn't argue.
They sprinted out of the command center and piled into a heavily armored FBI interceptor. Carter slammed his foot on the gas, activating the sirens and flashing lights as they tore through the crowded streets of Chicago, heading straight for the Indiana border.
Emily sat in the passenger seat, gripping the door handle. The terrified girl who used to hide in her bedroom while her father screamed at the staff was entirely gone. She was a weapon forged in the fire of his abuse, and she was finally returning to the source.
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"We are ten minutes out," Carter shouted over the blaring siren. "The local police have locked down the perimeter gates, but the jet is already taxiing to the runway."
"Ram the gates if you have to," Emily ordered coldly. "Do not let that plane leave the ground."
