Chapter 6 - THE EMPTY DRIVEWAY
The small viewing room inside the bank vault seemed to shrink, the walls closing in until the air grew thin.
They’re taking Poppy.
I shoved the ledger and the life insurance policy into my bag, my hands moving with frantic, clumsy desperation.
“He moved up the timeline,” Luke said, his military training instantly overriding the shock. He grabbed my elbow, guiding me swiftly out of the vault. “He must have bribed a judge for an immediate ex parte order. We have to go. Now.”
We sprinted out of the bank and into the bright Annapolis afternoon. The drive back to Beth’s house was a blur of aggressive lane changes and blaring horns. Luke drove with cold, terrifying precision, his jaw locked tight.
I sat in the passenger seat, dialing Beth’s number over and over. It went straight to voicemail.
“He’s going to kill her, Luke,” I sobbed, the horrific reality of the life insurance policy burning behind my eyes. “He’s going to take her out on a boat and stage an accident to pay off his investors.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Luke swore, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “I command the waters in this sector. If he steps foot on a dock, I will have every cutter in the bay hunting him.”
We skidded to a halt in front of Beth’s small suburban home.
The front door was wide open.
I threw the car door open before we even fully stopped, sprinting up the concrete walkway.
“Beth!” I screamed, tearing into the living room.
The house was in disarray. The coffee table was pushed aside. A lamp lay shattered on the rug.
Beth was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, pressing a bloody dish towel against the side of her head. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with shock and tears.
“Hannah, I’m so sorry,” Beth cried, her voice trembling. “I tried to stop them.”
I dropped to my knees beside her. “Beth, what happened? Where is she?”
“Eric showed up with two local cops,” Beth sobbed, wincing as she held the towel. “He had a piece of paper signed by a judge. The police said they had to enforce it. When I tried to grab Poppy, Eric shoved me. I hit my head on the doorframe.”
“The police just let him assault you?” Luke demanded, stepping into the hallway, his presence filling the small house.
“They were already walking back to their cruiser with Poppy,” Beth explained, wiping her eyes. “Eric grabbed her out of my arms and walked out. I told the cops he hit me, but Eric said I tripped trying to interfere with a lawful court order. They told me to file a civil complaint.”
My chest heaved. Eric had used the law as a weapon, twisting the local police into his own private muscle.
“How long ago did they leave?” Luke asked, his voice sharp and focused.
“Ten minutes,” Beth said. “Eric was driving a silver rental SUV.”
I stood up, pulling the thick life insurance policy from my bag.
“We have to call 911,” I said frantically. “We have to issue an Amber Alert.”
“The local police won’t issue an Amber Alert for a father executing a legal custody order, Hannah,” Luke said grimly. “Eric knows the loopholes. He knows it will take hours, maybe days, for a judge to review the evidence in that ledger and revoke the order.”
“We don't have days!” I screamed, the terror finally breaking my composure. “If he gets her on a boat, he’ll sink it tonight!”
Luke pulled his cell phone from his pocket. His face hardened into a mask of pure, unadulterated resolve.
“Then we don’t use the local police,” Luke said.
He dialed a number, waiting only two seconds before a voice answered on the other end.
“This is Commander Callahan,” Luke barked into the phone, his voice echoing with absolute authority. “I need a priority trace on a rental vehicle associated with Eric Dalton. And I need the Sector Baltimore fast response interceptor fueled and ready at the docks in fifteen minutes.”
Luke listened for a moment, his eyes locked on mine.
“I don't care about the jurisdictional red tape, Lieutenant,” Luke snarled, a dangerous edge to his voice that made even me flinch. “The man who bankrolled the Chesapeake sinkings has just abducted a child, and he is heading for the water. If that interceptor isn’t idling when I arrive, I’ll have your rank.”
May you like
He hung up the phone and turned to me.
“He’s taking her to the Chesapeake Marina,” Luke said. “It’s the only place he still has functional boats under his shell companies. Let’s go get your daughter.”
