Chapter 6 - The Password Was a Child
Adrian reached the garage in ninety seconds.
He did not remember taking the stairs.
Carlo followed.
"Call Marco."
Adrian already was.
No answer.
Dominic.
No answer.
Security feed.
Offline.
Adrian's hands shook once.
Then stopped.
He got into the SUV.
"Drive."
Carlo took the wheel.
Adrian opened the live GPS tracker hidden inside Lily's boot sole.
He had placed it there after the station.
A small dot moved east.
Fast.
"They have her."
"Where?"
"Queensboro Bridge."
Adrian's phone rang.
Unknown.
He answered.
"Speak."
A man's voice.
Not Salvatore.
Daniel.
"Adrian."
Adrian stopped breathing.
"Daniel."
"I'm sorry."
"Where is Lily?"
"With me."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"Why?"
"Because you're surrounded."
"By who?"
"Your father. Vale. Carlo. Maybe your own men."
Carlo looked at Adrian.
Daniel continued.
"I couldn't risk leaving her with anyone."
"You sent men into my safe house."
"I sent men to extract her."
"You could have called."
"Would you have handed her over?"
"No."
"Exactly."
Adrian fought his rage.
"Is she hurt?"
"No."
"Put her on."
A pause.
Then Lily's voice.
"Adrian?"
He exhaled.
"Hey."
"Marco got hit."
Adrian's blood chilled.
"Where?"
"Arm."
"Dominic?"
"He's okay."
"Are you scared?"
"Yes."
"I know."
"Daddy's here."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"Can you see him?"
"Yes."
"Does he look like the picture?"
"Older."
Despite everything, Adrian almost smiled.
"Okay."
Lily whispered, "He says we have to save Mom."
"We will."
Daniel returned to the phone.
"Meet me."
"Where?"
"Not over an open line."
"You just kidnapped the girl I'm protecting."
"She's my daughter."
"Then start acting like her father and stop using her as a key."
Silence.
Adrian had guessed correctly.
Daniel's voice hardened.
"Sal told you."
"He knows about the biometric lock."
"Of course he does."
"Why use Lily?"
"Because I needed something Salvatore couldn't steal without exposing himself."
"You made your six-year-old daughter the lock."
"I made her fingerprint one part of a three-part authentication."
Adrian gripped the phone.
"What are the other two?"
"Your father's ring."
"And?"
"My retinal scan."
Adrian understood.
Salvatore needed Daniel alive too.
Which explained Evelyn.
Everyone was leverage against everyone.
"Where's Evelyn?"
Daniel's voice changed.
"Sal has her."
"He said you did."
"He lied."
"Mom?"
"Also Sal."
Adrian looked at Carlo.
"Pier 19?"
"Trap."
"Where then?"
"Dry Dock 6."
"Red Hook?"
"Yes."
Adrian remembered train-yard evidence.
"Why?"
"Sal's central archive is below the old shipping office."
"You found it."
"Years ago."
"Why didn't you destroy it?"
"Because evidence matters."
"Not if Lily dies."
Daniel went silent.
Then said, "You're right."
Adrian heard pain in his voice.
Real pain.
"I made choices I thought would protect her."
"You disappeared."
"Yes."
"You let me bury you."
"I know."
"You let your mother bury you."
Daniel breathed out.
"She knew."
Adrian stopped.
"What?"
"My mother knew."
Another dead person's grief had been staged.
Adrian almost laughed.
"You people are unbelievable."
"Survival made liars out of everyone."
"No."
Adrian looked through the windshield.
"Fear did."
Daniel said, "Meet me at the old ferry warehouse. Twenty minutes."
The call ended.
Carlo drove faster.
They reached the warehouse first.
Adrian entered alone.
Daniel emerged from behind a support column.
Older.
Thinner.
Scar across his jaw.
Alive.
For several seconds neither man spoke.
Then Daniel said, "You look terrible."
Adrian punched him.
Daniel hit the floor.
He wiped blood from his mouth.
"Fair."
Adrian grabbed him up and hugged him.
It lasted two seconds.
Then he shoved him away.
"You're an idiot."
"I've heard that."
"Seven years."
"I know."
"You should have trusted me."
"I couldn't."
"Why?"
"Because Sal had someone beside you every day."
"Who?"
Daniel looked toward the entrance.
"Carlo."
Adrian's expression hardened.
Carlo stepped inside.
"No."
Daniel drew a gun.
Carlo raised his hands.
"You forged the payments," Daniel said.
"I did not."
"You met Salvatore in Montreal."
"To find you."
"You transferred money through Moretti Logistics."
"To trace Sal's accounts."
Daniel looked at Adrian.
"He's lying."
Carlo said, "Ask him why he never told you his mother was alive and helping him."
Daniel's face changed.
Adrian raised a hand.
"Enough."
Both men stared.
"I've spent one day learning everyone I buried is alive and everyone I trusted is lying."
Neither argued.
Adrian continued.
"So from now on, nobody gets believed."
He looked at Daniel.
"Where's Lily?"
Daniel led them to a hidden room.
Lily ran to Adrian.
He caught her.
She wrapped both arms around his neck.
"I thought you weren't coming."
"I said I would."
Daniel watched them.
Something softened in his face.
Adrian set Lily down.
"Now we get your mom."
Daniel unfolded a map.
Dry Dock 6.
Underground archive.
Three entrances.
Salvatore controlled two.
A maintenance tunnel provided the third.
"Vale knows?" Adrian asked.
"Probably."
"Good."
Daniel frowned.
"Good?"
"Let him draw fire."
"You'll use him?"
"He'd use me."
Carlo studied the map.
"How many men?"
"Twenty."
"Salvatore?"
"Inside."
"Evelyn?"
"Likely archive level."
"Sofia?"
Daniel looked at Adrian.
"Unknown."
Lily listened.
Adrian noticed.
He knelt.
"You stay here."
"No."
"Lily."
"No."
Daniel stepped forward.
"She's right."
Adrian glared.
"You're not helping."
"Her fingerprint is required."
"Then we copy it."
"Can't. Pulse verification."
Adrian stared at him.
"You built that?"
"I had help."
"You're insane."
"Probably."
Lily looked between them.
"I can do it."
Adrian's chest tightened.
"No."
"Mom needs me."
"You're six."
"I know."
Adrian looked at Daniel.
Daniel looked ashamed.
"We don't have another way."
Adrian hated him for being right.
They prepared.
Lily wore a small protective vest beneath her coat.
Adrian stayed beside her.
Daniel carried the ring.
They entered through the maintenance tunnel.
No resistance.
Too easy.
At the lower level, they found Sofia.
Alive.
Bound to a chair.
Adrian rushed toward her.
She shouted.
"Don't!"
A red laser appeared on Adrian's chest.
Then ten lights snapped on.
Salvatore stood behind glass above them.
Men surrounded the room.
Evelyn was beside him.
Hands tied.
Bruised.
Alive.
Lily screamed, "Mom!"
Evelyn cried out.
"Lily!"
Salvatore's voice came through speakers.
"Perfect."
Adrian looked around.
Trap.
Salvatore smiled.
"Daniel. Ring on the scanner."
Daniel did not move.
Salvatore pressed a gun to Evelyn's shoulder.
"Now."
Daniel placed the lion ring on a reader.
A green light appeared.
"Retina."
Daniel stepped to the scanner.
Second green light.
Salvatore looked at Lily.
"And finally."
Adrian stood in front of her.
"No."
Salvatore smiled.
"Then Evelyn dies."
Lily tugged Adrian's coat.
"It's okay."
"No."
She looked up.
"I trust you."
Those words hurt more than fear.
Adrian stepped aside.
Slowly.
Lily placed her finger on the scanner.
Third green light.
A steel door opened.
Salvatore smiled.
Then every light in the building went out.
Gunfire erupted.
Men shouted.
Emergency alarms screamed.
Adrian grabbed Lily and pulled her down.
Daniel fired toward the glass.
Carlo cut Sofia free.
A figure appeared in the doorway.
Victor Vale.
He looked at Adrian through the red emergency lights.
Then raised his gun.
May you like
But it wasn't pointed at Salvatore.
It was pointed directly at Daniel.
