Chapter 6 - The Custody Battle
Elena did not stop running until she was blocks away from the bank.
She ducked into a crowded coffee shop and locked herself in the restroom.
Her hands shook violently as she pulled out her cell phone.
She dialed 911, prepared to tell the police everything about Greg and the cartel.
Before the call connected, a text message popped up on her screen.
It was from Vanessa.
The message contained a live video feed of Mia sitting in a sterile, white room.
A woman in a cheap suit was handing Mia a juice box.
The next text message made Elena's blood run completely cold.
"Child Protective Services works very fast when a concerned aunt reports a drug-addicted mother," Vanessa wrote.
Elena immediately hung up the emergency call.
If she went to the police now, Greg's cartel connections would ensure Mia disappeared into the system forever.
Vanessa sent one final message.
"Come to the old Whitmore warehouse at midnight with the key to the deposit box, or Mia goes to a permanent foster home."
Elena realized Greg had dropped the key when she hit him with the box.
She still had the only access to the remaining evidence.
She splashed cold water on her face, forcing herself to focus.
She could not rely on the corrupt local police.
She needed to find David.
Elena remembered the street sign visible in the background of David's recent photograph.
It was not Europe.
It was a highly specific architectural district in downtown Chicago.
She immediately booked a train ticket using her emergency credit card.
During the four-hour train ride, Elena used her nursing credentials to hack into Greg's private medical server.
She bypassed the basic security firewalls with ease.
She downloaded massive files of encrypted patient data used to launder the cartel's dirty money.
She finally had the leverage she needed to destroy Greg completely.
As the train pulled into the Chicago station, Elena's phone rang.
It was David's old, disconnected phone number.
May you like
She answered it with trembling breath.
"If you get off that train, Elena, they will kill you," a deep, familiar voice whispered.
