Chapter 8 - The Safehouse
The freezing water hit me like a solid brick wall, but I forced my arms to stroke powerfully through the darkness.
I swam completely submerged for as long as my burning lungs would allow, desperate to put distance between myself and the yacht.
Bullets suddenly zipped through the water around me, leaving trails of deadly white bubbles as Vanessa fired wildly into the harbor.
I kicked harder, finally breaking the surface completely hidden beneath the wooden planks of a neighboring commercial dock.
I hauled my freezing, exhausted body out of the water, shivering so violently my teeth rattled loudly in my skull.
I had lost the physical file, but I knew Nathan possessed a photographic memory and likely had digital backups.
I needed to bypass the corrupt Boston police force entirely and take this massive conspiracy straight to the top.
I stole a warm jacket from a sleeping security guard's chair and broke into a nearby twenty-four-hour internet cafe.
I used a secure, encrypted messaging service to contact the regional director of the FBI directly in Washington.
I detailed the exact nature of the organ harvesting ring, the corruption of the local police, and the planned massive wire transfer.
I waited in agonizing suspense for thirty minutes before a secure reply finally flashed across the computer monitor.
"We have been actively investigating Dr. Sterling for three years, but we never had an inside witness," the Director wrote.
He instructed me to meet a team of elite federal agents at a heavily guarded safehouse located just outside the city limits.
I took a long circuitous route on public transit, ensuring I was completely free of any of Vanessa's deadly trackers.
The safehouse was an unassuming brick building, but the inside was packed entirely with high-tech surveillance equipment and armed federal agents.
The FBI Director stepped forward to greet me, offering a warm blanket and a cup of steaming hot coffee.
"We are planning a massive sting operation at the hospital's annual charity gala tonight," the Director explained confidently.
"We need you to walk into that ballroom and publicly confront Sterling to force him into a recorded confession," he proposed.
I agreed without a single moment of hesitation, ready to absolutely destroy the monsters who ruined my life.
"You are incredibly brave, Clara, but you will not be going into this dangerous operation alone," the Director said softly.
He gestured toward a heavy steel door at the back of the room, which slowly clicked open.
May you like
I dropped my coffee cup directly onto the floor, the ceramic shattering loudly into a dozen sharp pieces.
Nathan walked into the room, looking completely unharmed and wearing a perfectly tailored black tuxedo.
