Chapter 5 - The Hunt Begins
The penthouse downtown was empty when the police breached the doors. The ankle monitor had been cleanly cut off using industrial tools, left resting on the kitchen counter next to a half-empty bottle of expensive champagne. Evelyn and Chloe were on the run.
"They're trying to leave the country," Detective Harrison said, spreading a map of the tristate area across the table in my father’s study. "We’ve flagged their passports, alerted all major airports, train stations, and border crossings. But Evelyn has connections. Her brother, the former security chief, has access to private air charters."
Richard stood by the window, his arms crossed. "She won't use an airport. She knows I control the major aviation logistics in this city. She’s going to use the docks. My company owns three shipping terminals along the river. She knows the blind spots in the security schedules because she used to attend the corporate charity galas there."
"Dad, let me help," I said, stepping forward. "I know how she thinks. When she was forcing me to clean her room, I heard her talking to her brother about a yacht named The Silver Siren. She kept the registration papers in her vanity mirror hidden compartment. She said if things ever went bad with the board of directors, that boat was her insurance policy."
Harrison snapped his fingers at his team. "Run a registration check on The Silver Siren. Find out where it's docked right now!"
Within ten minutes, the tech specialist looked up. "Sir, the vessel is registered under a shell corporation owned by Evelyn’s brother. It’s currently docked at Marina Pier 4—a private, unmonitored slip just past the industrial sector."
"Let's move," Harrison commanded.
"I'm coming with you," Richard said, grabbing his coat.
"Mr. Vance, it's too dangerous—"
"That woman tortured my child under my own roof!" Richard bellowed, his eyes flashing with an unyielding fire. "I am going, Detective. And you can either coordinate with me, or get out of my way."
I caught my father’s sleeve. "Take me too, Dad. I need to see this end. I need to know they can never hurt me again."
May you like
Richard looked at me for a long moment. He saw the fear in my eyes, but beneath it, he saw the resilience of my mother. He nodded slowly. "We finish this together, Maya."
The ride to the industrial docks was a blur of sirens and flashing lights. The rain began to pour, heavy and relentless, slicking the asphalt as the police cruisers sped through the dark, abandoned warehouse district. As we neared the pier, I could see the silhouette of a massive luxury yacht, its engines humming, white smoke billowing into the midnight air. They were minutes away from untying the lines and escaping into international waters.
