Chapter 3 - The Black Case
I stared at Chief Miller, shifting my weight slightly to protect Lily.
"She needs a hospital, Miller," I said, my voice dangerously calm.
Miller just smirked, cocking the hammer of his weapon.
"She is going to the county psych ward, and you are going to the morgue," he replied.
I dropped sharply to one knee, throwing my shoulder directly into Miller's kneecap.
His leg buckled instantly, and his gun fired wildly into the ceiling.
I struck him across the jaw with my elbow, knocking him out cold before he hit the floor.
I scooped Lily back up and ran out the front door, ignoring the screams of the party guests.
I placed her gently into the passenger seat of my truck and locked the doors.
Reaching beneath the back seat, I pulled out a heavy, dust-covered black case.
I had not touched this case in fifteen years, hoping I would never need it again.
I entered the complex biometric code and popped the latches open.
Inside was a heavily encrypted satellite phone connected to the life I had deeply buried.
I powered it on and waited exactly three seconds for the secure line to connect.
"Extraction, evidence protection, or federal notification?" a synthetic voice asked.
I looked through the window at Richard, who was now stumbling out onto the porch, clutching his broken wrist.
"All three," I answered coldly.
There was a brief pause on the line before the voice responded.
May you like
"Authorization confirmed, but be advised, operator," the voice said.
"Your target already initiated a burn protocol on your location twenty minutes ago."
