Chapter 14 - The Oregon Trail
Agent Harris and I boarded the first available commercial flight to Portland, Oregon, completely operating off the federal grid.
We rented a heavy, armored SUV and aggressively drove deep into the treacherous, heavily forested Cascade Mountains.
The small, remote logging town was incredibly isolated, surrounded completely by massive, towering pine trees and dense, suffocating fog.
Agent Harris had heavily utilized his classified federal database during the flight to completely research the Blackwood family.
Arthur Blackwood was a highly reclusive, massively powerful tech billionaire who owned absolutely everything in the remote valley.
He operated completely above the law, employing dozens of highly trained, heavily armed private mercenaries to guard his massive, sprawling compound.
We aggressively parked the SUV on a hidden, elevated ridge that completely overlooked the massive, heavily fortified estate.
The compound looked exactly like a terrifying, impenetrable medieval fortress, entirely surrounded by thick concrete walls and high-voltage security fences.
I pulled out a pair of heavy military binoculars and completely focused my desperate eyes on the expansive, beautifully manicured courtyard.
My breath caught completely in my throat, and tears instantly blurred my vision.
Walking quietly across the pristine green lawn, entirely surrounded by three heavily armed security guards, was my beautiful daughter.
Chloe was holding a small textbook, looking incredibly sad and completely isolated in the massive, terrifying golden cage.
Agent Harris gently placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, promising that he was calling in a massive federal tactical team to breach the compound.
He heavily warned me that the elite strike force would not arrive for at least twenty-four agonizing hours.
I continued to watch through the binoculars, completely noticing a sudden, highly aggressive flurry of frantic activity in the courtyard.
Heavily armed guards were rapidly loading massive black duffel bags and several terrified children into a fleet of armored transport helicopters.
The Blackwood syndicate had absolutely been tipped off by a corrupt mole, and they were actively preparing to completely flee the country tonight.
I completely realized that if I waited for the federal authorities to arrive tomorrow, I would absolutely lose my daughter forever.
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I lowered the binoculars and looked at Agent Harris with a fierce, completely unstoppable maternal determination.
I quietly declared that I was absolutely going into that terrifying compound tonight, and I was not coming out without my child.
