Chapter 3 - SHADOWS AND STEEL
The emergency room at Dayton General was a chaotic blur of fluorescent lights and shouting nurses, but Daniel isolated himself in a quiet alcove near the trauma bay. Maya was sedated, her arm being set, and the baby was in the NICU, fighting a severe respiratory infection.
Daniel had his phone pressed to his ear. On the other end was Marcus Vance—no relation to the charity CEO, though the irony wasn't lost on Daniel. Marcus was a former Marine Force Recon operator who now ran Whitmore Industries' global security.
"I need off-the-books logistics, Marcus. Right now," Daniel said, his voice a low, lethal hum.
"It's midnight, boss. What's the target?" Marcus asked, the sound of a keyboard clacking instantly echoing in the background.
"SafeHaven Family Foundations. I need to know every piece of real estate they own, lease, or operate under a shell company. Specifically, I'm looking for a warehouse. Somewhere industrial, likely off the main grid, near I-75."
"Give me two minutes," Marcus said. The line went silent except for the rapid-fire typing. "Okay, pulling their tax filings. They have three public shelters. But... wait. There's a subsidiary LLC registered in Delaware. 'Apex Storage Solutions.' They lease an abandoned textile warehouse out in the Rust Belt sector, about four miles from where your car's GPS currently says you stopped."
"Send me the coordinates. Meet me there. Bring your piece."
"Daniel," Marcus warned, his tone shifting from professional to protective. "If this is what it sounds like, we need to call the FBI. You're a CEO, not a tactical team."
"They're holding a woman in a box, Marcus. A mother. Her kids just walked down a highway in November to get help. The police will take hours to get a warrant, and if SafeHaven gets a whiff of an investigation, they'll scrub the site. I am going."
Daniel hung up. He walked back to the pediatric bay and looked through the glass. Maya was sleeping, her small face bruised and exhausted. He thought of his late wife, Sarah, and how much she had wanted children. How she would have wept to see this.
May you like
He turned on his heel and walked out of the hospital. He was done writing checks. It was time to collect a debt.
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