Chapter 5 - A Brother's Disappearance
I felt the entire room spin violently as the horrifying reality of the situation crushed my chest.
"How could she possibly kidnap a teenager from a secure police station?" I demanded fiercely.
Detective Hayes grabbed his tactical jacket and a heavy ring of keys from the desk.
"She had help from someone on the inside of this department," he admitted with deep shame.
We sprinted out of the interrogation room and rushed toward the underground parking garage.
"We have to find her before she hurts him," I cried, tears of sheer panic blurring my vision.
The detective unlocked his unmarked police cruiser and we jumped into the front seats.
He activated the siren and sped recklessly into the chaotic afternoon city traffic.
"I managed to slip a GPS tracker into Leo's backpack before I left him in the waiting room," Hayes explained.
He opened a digital map on the dashboard screen, revealing a blinking red dot moving rapidly toward the harbor.
"She is taking him to the private shipping docks," I realized, recognizing the industrial location.
Vanessa's corporation owned several massive storage warehouses right on the edge of the dark water.
We arrived at the deserted docks fifteen minutes later, surrounded by towering metal shipping containers.
The detective pulled his service weapon and motioned for me to stay close behind his broad shoulders.
We crept silently through the damp, foggy pathways between the rusted metal boxes.
A sudden, muffled scream echoed from a massive warehouse located at the very end of the pier.
We rushed toward the building and carefully peered through a dirty, cracked windowpane.
Vanessa was pacing back and forth, holding a sleek silver pistol in her trembling hand.
Leo was tied tightly to a wooden chair in the center of the room, crying and struggling against the thick ropes.
"You ruined everything with that stupid cell phone video!" Vanessa screamed, aiming the gun at my nephew.
I could not wait for the detective to formulate a tactical plan while Leo's life was in imminent danger.
I kicked the heavy wooden door open with all my strength and marched boldly into the warehouse.
"Let him go right now, Vanessa, or you will have to shoot me first," I declared fiercely.
Vanessa laughed a manic, broken laugh and pointed the deadly weapon directly at my forehead.
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"I will gladly shoot both of you," she sneered with a cold, psychotic smile.
Suddenly, a deafening gunshot rang out, and blood splattered across the dusty concrete floor.
