Chapter 10 - The False Rescue
I stole a running delivery van from a nearby gas station and drove like a maniac to the docks.
The massive port was a dark maze of towering shipping containers and heavy rain.
I parked the van and grabbed a heavy steel pipe from the floorboards.
I finally found Dock 42 shrouded in thick, freezing fog.
A black SUV was parked at the edge of the pier, its headlights illuminating the falling rain.
Meredith was standing near the edge of the dark water, holding a black umbrella.
Next to her stood the man in the black mask, holding Chloe tightly by the arm.
"Let her go, Meredith!" I roared, stepping into the light with my weapon raised.
Meredith laughed coldly and took a step away from my daughter.
I charged forward, swinging the heavy pipe with all my adrenaline-fueled rage.
I struck the masked man hard in the knee, dropping him instantly to the wet concrete.
I grabbed Chloe and pulled her aggressively behind me, shielding her with my body.
Suddenly, FBI vehicles swarmed the dock from every possible direction, their sirens blaring loudly.
I had sent an anonymous tip to the feds using the burner phone while I was driving.
Armed agents surrounded Meredith and the injured masked man, forcing them to the ground.
The terrifying nightmare was finally over.
I dropped the steel pipe and hugged my crying daughter tighter than I ever had before.
The FBI agents wrapped us in warm blankets and put us safely in the back of an armored vehicle.
I held Chloe's face gently in my hands and kissed her forehead.
"We are safe now, baby, the bad people are gone," I cried happily.
Chloe stopped crying instantly.
Her terrified expression vanished entirely, replaced by a cold, calculating smile that didn't belong on a child.
She reached into her small pocket and pulled out a third, completely different burner phone.
She looked me dead in the eyes, her voice completely devoid of any emotion.
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"The decoy worked perfectly, Commander," Chloe spoke into the phone.
"The primary target suspects nothing, and I am awaiting immediate extraction."
