Page List

Font Size:

“What do you mean? You know where she is?” she asks as she follows me into the room.

“Yes,” I open the wardrobe and unlock a secret compartment in it. I retrieve the box and open it. I quickly equip the pistol with a silencer and tuck it by my side.

“Is this because of your job? No more secrets, Holden.”

“My former job, yes,” I reply as I strap a kevlar on and wear a shirt on it.

“Remember I mentioned to you about a sleazebag by the name of Vladimir?” Hannah nods.

“Well, this is his younger brother, who came to take revenge on me by making the biggest mistake of his life.”

I palm the side of her face and look deep into her starry eyes. “No more secrets. I promise you Hannah, I will bring our baby girl home safe.”

She nods again.

I rush down the garage and start the car, the engine roars as it comes to life. I zip down the streets of San Francisco enraged by the events of the day. They had the guts to kidnap my daughter. I’m going to kill them all.

I scan my surroundings as I walk into the shipyard, I knew that Eli’s men were already outside, they were good at hiding but I could spot one or two outside. I walk deep into the abandoned shipyard before I spot an ominous figure.

He pats me down, seizing my gun before leading me into a building.

“Ah, welcome, Agent Gould. I have been expecting you,” a muscular man says as he stands up with my daughter in his arms.

“Did you get my note?” he laughs.

“Let’s just get this over with. I have the drive, you have my daughter,” I say sternly as I withdraw the drive from my pocket, I wave it in the air and move closer to him.

The only prominent features he has are his face tattoos and his bald head. His muscular physique bulged out of his tank top.

“Yes, yes,” he admits with his Russian accent. “She is very beautiful,” he notes as he drops her in my arms after I hand the drive over to one of his men.

It’s a small group. Two men outside and four men inside, all armed. I shrug the thought of taking them on. I have to get her as far away as possible from here. I walk toward the door but I’m blocked by the man who lead me in. What now?

“Do you think you can testify against my brother and get away with it?” he laughs as he picks up a knife from the table. Kerri is wailing right now and I try to calm her down by moving my arm gently.

“Look, you got what you came for. Let us go.”

“The little girl, yes. You, no. I’m merciful that way, am I not?” he laughs.

I think of all the possible outcomes of this evening and none of them look favorable. None but one, I brace myself for the inevitable.

“If your men outside are looking out for you, who is looking out for them?”

Suddenly, a loud bang shakes the room. The sudden eruption of chaos shatters the tense calm within the room. The door on the far side of the room crashes open, and a team of armed operatives floods in, their tactical precision impresses me.

I seize the opportunity that chaos presents. With lightning reflexes, I move, melding into the shadows of the operatives engaged with the Russians in a frenzied exchange of gunfire. I quickly rush to my car and inspect it before strapping Kerri in. I walk to the driver’s seat when I hear the cock of a pistol in front of me. I raise my hands unconsciously.

“Goodbye, agent. May you rot in hell for what you did to my brother.” I stare at him, it’s Ludwig. The sight of him doesn’t scare me, it enrages me instead. I feel a surge of adrenaline in my body as I run toward him. He fires the pistol twice and I grunt as I collide with him, dispossessing him of the firearm. He gets up, wielding a knife. He swings and slashes but I dodge his attacks. I try to disarm him but his elbow meets my face.

I stagger, trying to regain my balance but he doesn’t let me. He charges into me and kicks me in the chest. I slump on the hood of my car. I can hear Kerri cry, it vexes me.

I get back on my feet and tackle him as soon as he charges at me. I hear his knife fall off. Good, I can attack him recklessly.

I wait for him to get up before I run at him and send him wailing with a head butt. I clench my fists and hit him on the sides and on his face as I dodge his attacks that get weaker. I throw a right hook and my fists connect with his face with such a fierce intensity. It knocks him out but I’m not satisfied. I raise him by the collar of his tank top and keep hitting his face until I am interrupted by one of the operatives who came to my rescue earlier.

“We got them all, we got them. He says as he restrains my hands.

Hannah’s mouth drops as we walk into the house. It’s late already but she and Audrey rush toward me. Hannah lifts Kerri from my arm while Audrey bombards me with questions.