Chapter 10 - THE STORAGE YARD
Rain started at 11:30.
By midnight, the old storage yard looked like something built for a nightmare.
Rusting equipment.
Empty trailers.
Stacks of concrete pipe.
One warehouse with half its windows broken.
Police tactical teams positioned themselves outside the property.
Ryan stayed in an armored vehicle with Ms. Howard.
That had been the deal.
Daniel wore a wire.
Claire remained in the command van with Ramirez.
“I should be out there.”
“No,” Ramirez said.
“That’s my daughter.”
“And my job is getting her back alive.”
Claire watched Daniel cross the yard alone.
Rain soaked through his jacket.
The warehouse door stood open.
Inside, one work light hung from the ceiling.
Lily sat in a chair.
Her hands weren’t tied.
But Travis stood behind her.
One hand rested on her shoulder.
Daniel stopped.
“Let her go.”
Travis smiled.
“You came alone.”
“Yes.”
“No cops?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
Travis laughed.
“Sure.”
Lily saw her father.
“Daddy!”
Daniel’s face broke.
“I’m here, baby.”
“I wanna go home.”
“I know.”
Travis tightened his hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t.”
Daniel’s voice turned deadly.
“Take your hand off her.”
“Or what?”
“Whatever you think I did to you, do it to me.”
Travis tilted his head.
“You still don’t remember.”
“Remember what?”
“My sister loved you.”
Daniel stared at him.
“We were together a few weeks.”
“To you.”
Travis stepped around Lily.
“To her, you were the ticket out.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“No. Nothing ever is.”
“Travis.”
“She thought you’d leave Claire.”
“I never promised that.”
“She thought you would.”
“I told her I wouldn’t.”
Travis laughed bitterly.
“And then she got pregnant.”
“She told me she lost the baby.”
“Because I told her to.”
Daniel froze.
Claire, listening from the van, looked at Ramirez.
Travis continued.
“Megan wanted to tell you after Ryan was born.”
Daniel’s face changed.
“You stopped her?”
“I protected her.”
“You ruined her life.”
Travis’s smile vanished.
“You ruined her life.”
“No. You kept feeding her anger because you needed someone to blame.”
Travis stepped closer.
“You had money. A house. A wife. A daughter.”
“And none of that belongs to you.”
Travis’s fist hit Daniel without warning.
Daniel staggered back.
Claire jumped to her feet.
Ramirez stopped her.
“Not yet.”
Travis grabbed Daniel’s shirt.
“You had everything.”
Daniel shoved him away.
“And you turned a grieving kid into a weapon!”
Lily screamed.
Travis turned toward her.
That second was enough.
Daniel lunged.
They crashed into a stack of wooden pallets.
Ramirez shouted into the radio.
“Go! Go! Go!”
Tactical officers moved.
But before they reached the warehouse, Travis grabbed Lily.
He pulled something from his waistband.
A gun.
Daniel froze.
Claire stopped breathing.
Travis pressed it against Daniel’s daughter.
“Where’s Ryan?”
Daniel stared at him.
“Not here.”
Travis’s eyes went wild.
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
Travis cocked the gun.
Then a child’s voice came from the warehouse doorway.
“No, he didn’t.”
May you like
Ryan stood there.
Alone.
