Chapter 7 - The Syndicate
The pieces of this horrific puzzle finally slammed together in my mind.
My family was not just being greedy and vindictive.
They were incredibly desperate.
Melissa had stolen the fifty thousand dollars and was trying to sell my house to pay off violent criminals.
They used the custody order as leverage to force me to sign away my rights without a legal fight.
"We need to find out where she is hiding the kids right now," Laura said, her eyes burning with fierce determination.
I remembered the emergency signal I had taught Tyler and Emma before that disastrous Sunday dinner.
I pulled out my tablet and opened the tracking app linked to the GPS watch I had given Tyler for his birthday.
I had assumed Melissa would be smart enough to take the watch off his wrist immediately.
But when the map loaded, a small blue dot was blinking steadily on the screen.
Tyler had managed to keep the watch hidden.
The location pinged at an abandoned warehouse district near the edge of the city limits.
"They are not at a safe location, they are at an industrial park," I told Laura, my blood running completely cold.
I realized Melissa had handed my children over to the syndicate as collateral until the house was sold.
I told Laura to stay locked inside our home and immediately dialed Detective Harris.
I quickly explained the gambling syndicate, the forged judge, and the active GPS location of my kidnapped children.
"I am assembling a SWAT unit right now, do not go in there alone, Jack," the detective ordered sternly.
But I could not just sit in my car and wait for the police to mobilize.
I drove to the warehouse district and parked my SUV behind a rusted shipping container.
I crept toward the massive metal building, moving silently through the dark shadows.
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I peeked through a filthy, cracked window and saw two large men armed with rifles guarding the main floor.
And sitting on a dirty mattress in the corner, clutching his little sister tightly, was my brave son Tyler.
