C360 The Warehouse

The convoy of black vehicles sped through the darkness. Inside the lead vehicle, Angus the Hammer sat in the passenger seat staring at the tracking device in his hand. The blinking signal representing Gold and Diamond had been moving for several minutes. Then suddenly it stopped. Angus frowned. "It stopped." Lewis the Sniper leaned forward. "Stopped?"

Angus nodded. "The signal is no longer moving." Roy the Hunter immediately looked at the map. "It matches the direction we're heading." Fraser the Reaper's expression darkened. "That means Madam has already reached the location." No one spoke after that. The atmosphere inside the vehicles became heavy. If Alicia had already arrived, then they might already be too late. Angus clenched his fists. "Faster." The driver immediately pushed harder on the accelerator. The convoy surged forward through the darkness.

Meanwhile... Outside the city. Alicia slowly stopped at the address Jack had given her. She looked outside the window and saw an industrial area abandoned many years ago. Old warehouses stood scattered across the landscape. Most had broken windows. Some were partially collapsed. The entire place looked lifeless. Alicia's hands tightened around the steering wheel. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding. She glanced down at her stomach. Her voice became soft. "We'll be okay."

The baby obviously couldn't answer. But somehow saying those words gave her strength. For a moment she remained seated. Thinking. Breathing. Praying. Then she grabbed her gun and Gold and Diamond before stepping out. The night air felt cold. The silence felt suffocating. Slowly she walked toward the warehouse. The large metal door was slightly open. Alicia pushed it. The rusty hinges groaned loudly. Then she froze.

Inside the warehouse... Sarah sat tied to a chair. Her hands were bound. Her feet were tied. Her face was pale. The moment Sarah saw Alicia, tears filled her eyes. "Alicia!" Alicia's heart sank. Seeing the pregnant Sarah tied up like that made anger instantly rise inside her. Her gaze shifted to Jack. She looked at him with pure hatred. "Are you even human?" Jack smiled. Alicia pointed toward Sarah. "She's pregnant." "How could you tie a pregnant woman like that?"

Jack shrugged. "She was troublesome." Alicia took a step forward. "Let her go." "I'm here." "You wanted me." "Now let her go." Jack laughed. The sound echoed throughout the warehouse. "What?" "You think this is some heroic movie?" His gun slowly rose. "Do you know how much trouble you've caused?" Alicia remained silent. Jack continued. "My uncle warned me about you." "He said you were dangerous." His eyes narrowed. "And now I understand why."

He pointed the gun directly at her. "You should have stayed away from things that don't concern you." Alicia didn't even look at the weapon. Her eyes remained on Sarah. "Release her." Jack laughed again. Then he kicked a rope toward Alicia. "Fine." He pointed to the floor. "Tie yourself up." Alicia looked down. Then back at him. "You release Sarah first." Jack's smile disappeared. Instantly his finger tightened around the trigger. "You think we're negotiating?" The coldness in his voice made even Sarah shiver. Jack stepped closer. "Should I kill her first?"

The warehouse became silent. Alicia looked at Sarah. Sarah shook her head desperately. "No." Alicia slowly bent down and picked up the rope. Without another word she began tying herself. Jack watched carefully. When he was satisfied, he finally walked toward Sarah. He untied the ropes one by one. The moment Sarah was free, she stood unsteadily. Jack pointed toward the exit. "Go." Sarah froze. "What?" "I said go." His gun shifted toward Alicia. "The one I want is staying."

Sarah immediately started crying. "No!" "Alicia came because of me!" Jack's expression darkened. "Leave." "Now." Sarah looked at Alicia helplessly. "Alicia..." Alicia forced a smile. Even though fear was consuming her. "Sarah." Her voice was gentle. "Go home." Sarah shook her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Alicia..." "Go." Alicia glanced at her stomach. Then back at Sarah. "You have a baby waiting for you." "Chris is waiting." "Your parents are waiting." "Your sister is worried sick."

Sarah broke down completely. "But you..." Alicia smiled weakly. "I'll be okay." The lie hurt. But she said it anyway. Finally Sarah turned and ran. Every step felt heavier than the last. She looked back several times. Each time Alicia simply nodded. Eventually Sarah disappeared into the darkness. Outside... An old taxi remained parked where Alicia had left it. Sarah climbed inside. Her hands shook violently as she started the engine. She didn't even know where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get help. Immediately.

As Sarah's car disappeared into the darkness, three black vehicles slowly rolled into the abandoned industrial area. Their headlights remained off, making them almost invisible in the night. Angus the Hammer stepped out first and raised his hand. "Hold." The men immediately stopped moving. Lewis the Sniper was the first to receive orders. "Take the high ground and cover every exit." Lewis nodded and disappeared into the darkness with his rifle.

Meanwhile, Angus lined the remaining men against the warehouse wall. After listening for a few seconds, he tightened his grip on his weapon. "Something is wrong inside." The men exchanged grim looks as they prepared to breach the warehouse. Inside the warehouse... A cruel smile appeared on Jack's face. "Now." "It's just us." Alicia remained silent. Jack walked around her slowly. Like a predator studying prey. "You know..." He laughed softly. "When I was driving here, I imagined many ways to kill you."

Alicia stared at him. Jack stopped in front of her. His eyes moved toward her stomach. Then he smiled. "Oh." "You're pregnant too." Alicia instinctively moved slightly. Jack laughed. "What?" "Protecting it already?" His smile became wider. "You know what would be interesting?" He raised the gun. "What if I shoot you in the stomach?" Alicia's face turned pale. Jack tilted his head. "The child dies first." "Then you follow." He laughed loudly. "Two birds with one stone." Alicia's breathing became uneven. Genuine fear appeared in her eyes. Jack noticed immediately. His smile widened. "There it is." "Fear."

He stepped closer. "You don't look so brave anymore." Then he suddenly aimed. Bang! The shot exploded through the warehouse. Alicia screamed. The bullet tore through her shoulder. Blood immediately began pouring down her arm. Pain unlike anything she had ever felt spread through her body. Her vision blurred. Jack laughed. "There." "That looks much better." Alicia fell to one knee. Tears filled her eyes. As she thought to herself, I have failed." "I Failed my child." "I Failed Mike." "I Failed you mother." Jack raised the gun again. This time aiming carefully at Alicia's head. Alicia closed her eyes. Mike... I'm sorry. I couldn't protect our child...

The sound of the gunshot immediately alarmed the ten men waiting outside. Angus raised his radio. “Hammer to Sniper. Can you hear me?” Lewis answered calmly. “Sniper to Hammer. Loud and clear.” “Do you have visual?” “Affirmative. I have visual on the inside.” Fraser the Reaper, quickly spoke. “Reaper to Sniper. We heard a gunshot. Is Madam okay?” Lewis adjusted his scope. “Sniper to Reaper. Madam has been shot. I repeat, Madam has been shot.” Angus's voice hardened. “Can you identify the target?” “One armed target. He appears ready to shoot Madam again.”

Angus didn't hesitate. “Hammer to Sniper. Take the shot. We breach in five seconds.” “Roger that, Hammer.” Then.. Bang! A gunshot echoed. Then silence. Alicia waited for the pain. She waited for her death. But it never came. Confused, she slowly opened her eyes. Jack stood frozen. For a second he remained standing. Then a small hole appeared in the middle of his forehead. His eyes lost focus. And his body collapsed to the ground. Dead. The warehouse doors burst open. More than a dozen men rushed inside. "Madam!" "Boss!" "Madam!"

Alicia blinked. Her vision had become blurry. Several familiar faces appeared. Angus. Fraser. Roy. The others. Angus immediately dropped to one knee beside her. "Madam!" "Can you hear me?" Alicia tried to answer. But the world was spinning. The last thing she heard was panic in Angus's voice. Then darkness consumed her. "Get her to the car!" "NOW!" Conner lifted Alicia himself. Blood stained his hands. Arthur immediately checked her pulse. "She's alive!" Fraser looked at the wound. "We have to move."

The entire team rushed outside. Within moments the convoy was speeding back toward the Gupta Residence. Several times they tried waking her. But Alicia never opened her eyes. Meanwhile... At the Mooney Residence. I sat in front of the computer. The tracking program finally produced results. My eyes widened. "The warehouse." I immediately stood. My heart sank. I quickly called Alicia. The call failed. I tried again. Voicemail. Again. Voicemail. Fear gripped me instantly. I rushed downstairs. Everyone was still sitting in the living room.

The moment they saw my expression, they stood. Mark frowned. "What is it?" I swallowed. "I found Sarah's phone." The room became silent. "Where?" "A warehouse outside the city." Mary immediately stepped forward. "What about Alicia?" I looked at the phone. Then at them. My voice cracked. "Her phone is off." Mary froze. "What?" "I can't reach her." Real panic appeared on my face. "I think something happened." Mark stood instantly. "We're leaving." Peter also stood. "I'm coming." "No." Mark shook his head firmly. "Father, stay here."

Peter looked furious. "My granddaughter is missing!" "And you want me to stay here without doing anything to help." The two men stared at each other. Finally Mark softened. "I'll bring her back." Peter clenched his fists. Then slowly sat down. A few minutes later... Mark. Quinton. And I. Were already speeding toward the warehouse. While driving, I immediately called Chris. The phone connected after several rings. Chris answered casually. "Brother." I didn't waste a second. "Sarah was kidnapped." Silence.

Then a chair crashed in the background. "What?" Chris's voice rose instantly. "What did you just say?" "Sarah was kidnapped." "And Alicia went looking for her." Another silence. Then Chris spoke again. His voice was shaking. "Where are they?" "I tracked Sarah's phone." "It's at a warehouse outside the city." "I'll send you the location now." Chris was already moving. "I'll be there." Then the call ended. And all of us raced toward the warehouse. Praying we weren't already too late.