Chapter 15 - The Ghost of the North SideThe lakefront highway was a disaster zone of twisted metal, smoking asphalt, and shattered glass. Federal SUVs were riddled with high-caliber bullet holes, their doors blown wide open by shaped C4 charges.
Chloe stood behind the police tape, staring at the destroyed transport van in absolute horror.
Hayes rushed up beside her, his radio crackling with frantic dispatches from local units. "No bodies, Chloe. Just federal guards knocked out with heavy sedatives. The tactical unit tracking Moretti’s cell intercepted the transport."
"Moretti didn't rescue him," Chloe realized instantly, her veterinary training and tactical instincts kicking into overdrive as she examined the angle of the explosive blasts on the van’s chassis. "Look at the blast pattern. It was a precise, professional breach designed to disable the vehicle without causing fatal trauma to the passenger. Moretti wants Gabriel dead. If he wanted to assassinate him, he would have blown the entire vehicle to atoms."
"Then who took him?" Hayes demanded.
"Elena," Chloe breathed, a sudden, blinding realization dawning on her. "Elena Costa and Dante. They didn't abandon Gabriel. They’re taking him to the old family estate in the Wisconsin woods—the one place the federal satellite grid and Moretti’s assassins can't reach."
Chloe turned on her heel, marching straight toward her unmarked federal sedan.
"Chloe, stop right there!" Hayes called out, chasing after her. "Where do you think you're going? You're off the case! If you go after Costa now, you're aiding a fugitive!"
Chloe opened the car door, slid behind the wheel, and started the engine. She looked back at her commanding officer with a look of fierce, unyielding resolve that reminded Hayes so much of his old partner, James Vance.
May you like
"Tell the bureau to send reinforcements," Chloe said coldly. "Because if Moretti gets to Gabriel before I do, there won't be a syndicate left to prosecute."
She slammed her foot on the gas, tires screeching as she peeled away from the highway crime scene.
