Chapter 8 - The Cross-Country Race
I stared at the phone in sheer disbelief as Liam disconnected the call.
Victoria and Liam were taking my daughter all the way back to California.
They needed to use Chloe's biometric scan at the specific Vanguard Trust facility in Los Angeles.
"We are going to California," I told Harrison with a cold, terrifying calm in my voice.
We stole a pristine pickup truck belonging to one of the unconscious guards inside the prison.
Harrison drove with reckless desperation while I scoured the truck's GPS for the fastest route.
The grueling, non-stop drive across the country was a nightmare of agonizing silence and shared guilt.
Harrison apologized endlessly for bringing this horrific danger into our lives.
I refused to accept his apologies until my daughter was safely back in my arms.
We barely slept, surviving on stale gas station coffee and pure, unadulterated rage.
Two days later, we crossed the state line into sunny California.
I directed Harrison toward the abandoned industrial pier in Santa Monica.
The massive wooden structure loomed over the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean.
We parked the truck several blocks away and crept toward the pier on foot.
I loaded a fresh magazine into the handgun I had taken from the prison guard.
We moved stealthily between rusting shipping containers and decaying fishing boats.
I spotted Victoria's black SUV parked at the very edge of the wooden pier.
Liam was standing outside the vehicle, nervously checking his designer watch.
Victoria stepped out of the passenger side, pulling a terrified Chloe by her tiny arm.
My blood boiled as I watched my daughter cry out for her mother.
"Let her go, Victoria!" I shouted as I stepped out from behind a container with my gun raised.
Victoria smiled wickedly and pulled a sleek silver pistol from her designer coat.
She pressed the barrel directly against Chloe's temple.
"Drop the gun, Sarah, or the little heiress dies right here," Victoria threatened calmly.
I slowly lowered my weapon, completely unwilling to risk my daughter's life.
Harrison suddenly lunged out from the shadows, tackling Liam to the wooden planks.
The sudden movement caused Victoria to flinch and turn her weapon toward Harrison.
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She pulled the trigger without a single moment of hesitation.
Harrison took the bullet directly in his chest and collapsed heavily onto the pier.
