Chapter 4 - The Betrayal
The ambulance tires screamed against the wet pavement as Julian swerved aggressively onto the midnight highway.
Lorenzo balanced himself in the back of the speeding vehicle, staring directly at Nurse Claire.
She was expertly hooking Sofia up to a portable blood transfusion kit with practiced, military-like precision.
Lorenzo pulled a spare combat knife from his boot and pressed it gently against Claire's neck.
He demanded to know exactly who she was texting in the parking garage.
Claire did not flinch or scream, completely unlike a civilian nurse facing a deadly weapon.
She calmly finished securing Sofia's intravenous line before finally looking up into Lorenzo's furious eyes.
She confessed that she was an undercover federal agent investigating the Volkov syndicate's human trafficking ring.
She explained that Julian and Victor had been under federal surveillance for the past six months.
The cartel had been stealing newborns from wealthy families to raise as untraceable, loyal soldiers.
Claire coldly stated that she needed to use the triplets as live bait to catch the cartel boss tonight.
Lorenzo was absolutely disgusted by her willingness to risk his innocent grandchildren for a federal sting operation.
He lowered the knife but told her she was completely insane if she thought he would allow that.
He ordered Julian to drive them to an old, abandoned shipping warehouse on the edge of the docks.
It was a secure location Lorenzo used for his own private security contracting business.
Julian obeyed, sweating profusely as the flashing lights of the pursuing SUVs vanished in the rearview mirror.
They arrived at the rusted warehouse and quickly moved Sofia and the babies into a reinforced concrete office.
Sofia's color began to return, and she weakly reached out to touch the tiny hands of her sleeping triplets.
Lorenzo began passing out heavy assault rifles from his hidden weapon cache, throwing one to the undercover agent.
He even handed a pistol to Victor, threatening to shoot him himself if he aimed it the wrong way.
The tense silence of the warehouse was suddenly shattered by the sound of heavy diesel engines surrounding the building.
Lorenzo checked the external security cameras and felt his blood run entirely cold.
They were not surrounded by the Volkov cartel thugs or the federal authorities.
The perimeter was completely locked down by heavily armored military vehicles bearing Julian's family crest.
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Victor looked at the security monitor and smiled with sickening, victorious malice.
He turned his weapon directly toward Lorenzo and proudly announced that the cartel did not own them anymore.
