Chapter 16 - THE DESPERATE ALLIANCE
As Nathan drove through the heavy rain,
he used a burner phone to contact a dangerous individual from his corporate past.
Marcus Vance,
his distant cousin,
operated an illegal security firm that specialized in corporate espionage and physical intimidation.
"Marcus,
I need your help immediately,"
Nathan pleaded,
his voice cracking with a high-pitched note of absolute desperation.
"I am being hunted by federal agents,
and that old bastard Henry has taken Sophia to a hidden location somewhere in the city.
Find them for me,
neutralize Henry,
and I will give you the location of my hidden offshore emergency funds."
Marcus stayed silent on the line for a moment,
calculating the immense risk of helping a federal fugitive.
But the promise of millions of dollars in untraceable cash was too tempting for a criminal to refuse.
"I have three highly trained men with me,
Nathan,"
Marcus replied quietly,
his voice cold and completely professional.
"We will locate Henry's truck and track him down to whatever hole he is hiding in tonight.
But if you are lying to me about the money,
I will personally ensure you never leave this state alive."
"I am not lying,
I swear to you!"
Nathan shouted into the phone,
wiping the sweat from his forehead as he drove.
Marcus ended the call,
ordering his team of mercenaries to mobilize their heavy vehicles and weapons.
They believed they were tracking a simple,
defenseless grandfather who had managed to get lucky with a federal investigation.
They had no knowledge of Henry's true history,
his legendary status within the covert operations community,
or his code name.
They did not know that they were preparing to ambush a man who had survived multiple wars.
Henry received an encrypted alert on his tablet,
showing that Marcus's vehicles had mobilized and were moving toward the northern sector.
He stood up from his chair,
checking the slide on his own personal sidearm with a practiced, fluid motion.
He looked over at Sophia,
who was sleeping deeply under the influence of the doctor's safe medication.
"Thomas,"
Henry said quietly to the physician,
who was standing near the door with a shotgun in his hand.
"Lock down the interior bunker,
and do not open the door for anyone until I give you the confirmation signal."
"Understood,
Henry,"
Thomas replied firmly,
knowing that his old friend was about to handle the threat with absolute finality.
Henry stepped out into the dark,
May you like
rain-soaked alleyway behind the clinic,
vanishing into the shadows like a ghost.
