Chapter 9 - The Extraction
My mother froze, terrified that we had walked right into another cartel trap.
"Who are you?" she demanded, refusing to move Daniel any further.
The man in the suit flashed a silver badge bearing a crest I did not recognize.
"I am Agent Vance with the Bureau, Daniel called us before he found Claire," the man explained.
"We are here to extract the asset."
I realized he was talking about Daniel.
We hurriedly loaded Daniel into the back of the armored SUV.
My mother climbed in beside him, applying pressure to his chest wound.
I jumped into the front passenger seat as Agent Vance slammed the doors shut.
Tires screeched on the concrete as Vance floored the gas pedal.
We smashed through the wooden security gate of the parking garage and burst out into the snowy night.
Dozens of local police cruisers were swarming the hospital entrance, their blue and red lights flashing blindly.
Vance ignored them, speeding down the empty highway toward the mountains.
"Is he going to make it?" I asked, looking back at Daniel.
Vance pressed a button on the dashboard, opening a secure comms channel.
"We have a medical team waiting at the safe house," Vance replied confidently.
I leaned my head against the cold glass of the window, finally letting out a breath I felt like I had been holding for hours.
The cartel mercenaries were left behind to deal with the overwhelming police presence.
My abusive father was gone forever.
My brother, despite his betrayal, was in police custody and out of the cartel's reach.
For the first time in my fourteen years of life, I actually felt safe.
We drove for nearly an hour into the deep, snow-covered wilderness.
Eventually, a massive, hidden compound appeared through the pine trees.
Armed guards opened a steel gate, allowing our SUV to enter the secure perimeter.
A team of military doctors was already waiting with a stretcher.
They rushed Daniel into the trauma bay, leaving my mother and me in the waiting room.
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My mother hugged me tightly, both of us covered in blood and exhaustion.
"We are going to be okay, Claire," she whispered into my hair.
