Chapter 15 - The Rail Yard Trap
The abandoned Briarwood rail yard was a sprawling maze of rusted boxcars, towering crane gantries, and overgrown industrial warehouses. It was the kind of place where men went to disappear—or to bury their enemies.
My truck tore through the rusted chain-link perimeter fence, slamming to a halt beside a row of empty freight cars. I killed the headlights and stepped out into the biting midnight air, carbine raised, scanning the shadows through thermal optics.
In the center of the rail yard, tied securely to a wooden chair beneath a flickering halogen spotlight, sat Lily.
Her head was bowed, her hands bound behind her, and standing directly behind her with a sleek, polished tactical knife pressed lightly against her throat was a tall, impeccably dressed man in a charcoal suit.
"Welcome, Commander," a voice echoed through the industrial PA system mounted above the yard. "I was wondering how long it would take a retired ghost to chase a phantom."
"Let her go, Director," I shouted, stepping out from the shadow of a freight car, keeping my rifle lowered but ready. "This is between you and me."
May you like
"Oh, it was never just about you," the Director's voice purred from the speakers, while the man in the suit smiled coldly down at Lily. "Men like you think you can walk away from empires, bury your badges, and play domestic house in the suburbs. But power doesn't work that way. The cipher in that vault belongs to the syndicate. And your daughter was simply the key to make you open it."
Lily lifted her head, her eyes wide with unshed tears, but she wasn't panicking. She looked right at me and whispered, "Dad... don't listen to them."
