Chapter 13 - The Transfer
The federal transport van was a claustrophobic steel box with no windows, bouncing heavily over unpaved backroads as it moved away from the precinct. My wrists were locked tightly in heavy iron cuffs, and my mind spun in frantic circles.
Maya. Where was Maya?
"If you've touched my daughter," I snarled toward the metal partition separating the back from the front cab, "I swear to God—"
"Save your breath, Miller," Detective Vance’s voice crackled through the intercom speaker. "The girl is currently being processed by Child Protective Services under a restricted state order. She’s safe, legally speaking. But as for you? You’re heading down to a maximum-security federal holding facility three states over. You’ll never see the light of day again."
The van lurched sharply to the left, taking a high-speed turn onto an isolated highway overpass.
Suddenly, a deafening screech of burning rubber tore through the night air. The van slammed hard on its brakes, throwing me violently against the front metal partition. A sickening crunch of twisting metal and shattering glass echoed from the cab.
Before I could recover my balance, the back doors of the transport van were violently blown open.
A wall of thick, white smoke billowed into the compartment, accompanied by the sharp smell of tactical flash-bangs. Two masked figures wearing black tactical gear leaped into the back of the van with terrifying efficiency.
"Get up! Move, move, move!" one of them barked, his voice distorted by a gas mask.
Before I could process what was happening, heavy wire-cutters snapped my handcuffs in a single, fluid motion. I was hoisted up by my collar and dragged out of the freezing back of the van onto the wet pavement of the deserted highway.
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Parked directly behind the disabled federal van was a heavy-duty matte-black SUV with its engine roaring.
The masked figures shoved me into the back seat, slamming the heavy door shut, and the vehicle accelerated into the dark night before the smoke had even cleared.
