Chapter 16: Get her
1506 Words
Adrian
"For what it's worth, tonight's plan was shattered.” I glanced at the rear mirror while talking to Dominic.
“We will have another chance I believe."
“Victor has just one job. All he needed to do was to bring her out, but that son of a b***h decided he just hid her only God knows where. Damn!” I shouted hitting the dashboard with my palm.
“I’d suggest you calm down so we think of another plan.”
"We don't have time, Dominic,” I said frustratingly, demonstrating with my hands in the air as I turned to look at him. “She's moving in a week. We've got less than 5 days to get her out of there."
"Hmmm. That's a very short time. I noticed security is tight plus Morrison mentioned that surveillance is now on every corner of the mansion, going in would be suicidal.”
"Phew. This is so frustrating. I wish she came out of those doors, sneaking her out of the mansion would have been a piece of cake. s**t!"
The drive back home was quiet on the outside but noisy in my head. I thought of all the plan I could set in place to help Ella but nothing was making sense. By the time I got home, I almost tore myself into pieces.
“Get some rest Sir, you don't have to be hard on yourself for what happened today, we'll find a way tomorrow." Dominic's seeing the frustration written all over my face calmed me down.
“Of course. Thanks man." I said as I walked into my mansion. I had lost appetite so eating was not in my agenda for the night. I took a warm bath and pounced on my bed.
“Tomorrow will be better." I mumbled drifting into the dream land.
The secure facility outside the city looked like any other corporate office building from the outside. But inside, it housed the most advanced digital forensics lab money could buy, and right now, every piece of equipment was focused on unraveling Victor Dane's web of lies and how to get Ella out untouched.
"Sir." Dominic's voice crackled through the secure comm system. "We've got movement at Ravenwood."
“What?"
“Multiple vehicles arrived during the night, and our satellite shows unusual activity in the basement levels."
"What kind of activity?" I asked, grabbing the microphone.
"It looks like they're preparing for transport. Three figures are being moved from the basement to what appears to be a staging area near the service entrance."
"I think the figures are Jon, Maya, and Sophia. Victor is probably preparing them for shipment to their new owners.”
“It seems so Sir.”
"What about Ella?"
"She’s still in the main house, but sir... there's something else. We intercepted communications, her timeline is no longer in a week's time. She has been rescheduled to…”
“To when!”
“Tonight!” Dominic dropped the bombshell.
“Damn!"
“Damn!
"Damn!” I punched the wall several times, if I had punched further,the wall would have torn in two.
“Victor's moving too fast. When is she likely to be transferred?"
"Tonight. Sunset. The buyers are already arriving.”
“The buyers are what, so fast?" I paced back and forth. “My instinct tells me Victor planned this all along. He already had potential buyers, that explains why he didn't let her out yesterday."
“I think you have a point, Sir. These buyers aren't even coming from within the city."
"Sir, I just cross-referenced Victor's buyer network with international criminal databases. These aren't just art collectors." Rebecca pulled up some files on her laptop
The screen filled with faces and profiles. Arms dealers, human traffickers, money launderers, and criminal organization leaders from across the globe.
"They're buying communication networks," I nodded slightly. "Artists who can create untraceable ways to pass information. Ella is in a big mess"
"Yes. She is the prize because she can create new encoding methods that law enforcement hasn't cracked yet," Rebecca confirmed. "She's essentially a walking, breathing cipher machine that looks like an innocent art student."
I studied the buyer profiles more closely. Aleksandr Kozlov caught my attention, Russian crime leader with operations spanning Eastern Europe and Asia. His profile showed looked a bit confusinh.
"Kozlov," I said, pointing to his photo. "He's the primary bidder for Ella, isn't he?"
"According to our intelligence intercepts, he's prepared to pay up to fifteen million for exclusive access to her abilities." Rebecca pulled up financial records. "He's already transferred half as a deposit."
"Oh my…”
My phone buzzed with a text from Morrison: "Urgent. Package being prepared for immediate shipping. The security is tripled, and we might be handicapped in few minutes as extraction window will close soon.”
"We're out of time," I told the team. "Rebecca, contact FBI Agent Sarah. Tell her we have evidence of international human trafficking and need immediate federal response."
"Sir, federal response will take hours, maybe days to coordinate."
"Then won't wait." I moved to the weapons cabinet and began selecting equipment. "Dominic, how many men can you have in position within the hour?"
"Six, including myself. But sir, Ravenwood is basically a fortress. Due to the kind of visitors coming, Victor has multiplied his private security and the surveillance is numerous.”
“We can outsmart them, Dominic. They are just a hand full."
“Sir, I suggest we pause, think this through and come up with a plan.”
"Well, news flash, I've been thinking of a God damn plan for the past 24 hours but the plans are not feasible, so I've decided to go head on, probably a plan will drop from the sky on our way.”
“Sir, you're about to risk everything. We've to far to compromise now. Remember, Ella was never part of the plan.”
"Ella has always been part of the plan, you just didn't see through.”
"Don't tell me you're falling for her, Sir. This is strictly business.”
“How dare you say such, Dominic. You of all people know that…
“Then think this through. With all due respect Sir, this decision you're about to make is the worst decision ever. You'll compromise the whole operation. Think about it, what if this is Victor's plan all along? what if?" Dominic's word were aggressive but it had some truth.
"I don't bloody care if it's the Pentagon," I said, checking my service weapon. "We're getting her out tonight."
"Sir." Rebecca's voice was strange. "There's one more thing about the Lucy Devereaux files."
I turned back to her. "What?"
"The coordinates and information she encoded in her final pieces? They don't just document Victor's crimes." Rebecca's hands shook slightly as she pulled up the last file. "They map out locations of missing artists going back seven years. Burial sites, sir."
The room fell silent except for the hum of electronic equipment.
"How many?" I asked quietly.
"Twenty-three confirmed locations. All young artists who entered Victor's program and were never seen again."
Twenty-three graves. Twenty-three talented young people who'd trusted the wrong person with their dreams.
"And the current artists in his basement?"
"According to the thermal imaging, there are only three left. But sir..." Rebecca's voice broke slightly. "The buyers' transportation schedules show departures for international destinations within hours. If we don't move tonight—"
"Then Ella, Jon, Maya, and Sophia join those twenty-three," I finished grimly.
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. "Get me everything you can on Ravenwood's security systems. Floor plans, guard rotations, emergency exits, everything."
"Where are you going?" Rebecca called after me.
"To call in some favors. And to prepare for war."
As I reached the elevator, my secure phone rang. The caller ID showed a number I'd been hoping to see.
"Agent Chen, FBI Art Crime Team."
"Sarah, it's Adrian Blackwood. I need every favor you've ever owed me, and I need them in the next four hours."
"What's the situation?"
"Human trafficking, art forgery, money laundering, and twenty-three murders. All tied to a single location, and we have four victims scheduled for transport tonight."
"Send me everything you have. I'll mobilize a tactical response team."
"Sarah," I said as the elevator doors closed, "one of those victims is someone I care about. I'm not waiting for federal protocol."
"Adrian, don't do anything stupid."
"Too late for that," I replied, ending the call.
Through the elevator's glass wall, I could see the evidence room where photos of Lucy Devereaux's artwork covered every surface. Hidden in those beautiful patterns were the final messages of a woman who'd died trying to save her daughter.
Tonight, I was going to finish what Lucy started.
But as the elevator reached the ground floor, my phone buzzed with a message that made my heart stop:
"Ella Devereaux confirmed loaded for international transport. Departure: 11:47 PM. Destination: Moscow. Recovery window: 6 hours, 23 minutes."
- Writer
