Chapter 9 - The Extraction
I kept the gun aimed directly at Marco’s chest, completely unable to trust my own eyes.
“You expect me to believe you faked her death while working for my father’s syndicate?”
“I am an undercover federal agent with the FBI, Damian,” Marco said, reaching slowly into his jacket.
He pulled out a golden badge and tossed it onto the wet asphalt between us.
“Sofia was our primary informant, and we had to pull her out before Elias successfully assassinated her.”
I stared at the federal badge reflecting in the dim moonlight.
“Then why did you leave Rosie behind?” I demanded angrily.
“We could not risk moving the child until Sofia was safely hidden in protective custody.”
Marco walked slowly toward the back of the SUV and opened the passenger door.
“Get in the car, Damian, Elias’s men are less than two minutes behind you.”
I looked nervously down the dark road, hearing the faint sound of approaching sirens.
I had absolutely no other choice but to trust the man standing in front of me.
I placed Rosie carefully into the warm backseat and climbed in right beside her.
Marco jumped into the driver’s seat and aggressively slammed his foot onto the gas pedal.
The heavy SUV roared to life, tearing violently down the slick, rain-soaked coastal highway.
I leaned back against the leather seats, finally allowing myself to take a deep, shaky breath.
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, keeping my hand firmly on my weapon.
“There is an FBI safehouse located in an abandoned warehouse district in Brooklyn,” Marco replied.
“Sofia is waiting there with a secure uplink to finally transfer the microdot data to our headquarters.”
I checked my pocket to ensure the precious platinum ring was still there.
The cold metal pressed reassuringly against my trembling fingertips.
We drove in tense, suffocating silence for forty-five long minutes.
The massive, glittering skyline of Manhattan finally appeared through the heavy rain.
Marco navigated the vehicle smoothly through a maze of deserted, industrial alleyways.
He finally parked the SUV inside a dark, heavily fortified parking garage.
“We made it,” Marco sighed, turning off the engine.
I carried Rosie out of the car and followed Marco up a set of concrete stairs.
He unlocked a heavy steel door, revealing a brightly lit, high-tech command center.
A woman with dark hair instantly turned around from a computer terminal.
Rosie screamed with pure, unadulterated joy.
“Mommy!”
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Sofia ran across the room and collapsed to her knees, hugging her daughter while crying hysterically.
I smiled in genuine relief, truly believing the horrible nightmare was finally over.
